Written questions by Lewis.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to require property management companies to need a licence to operate which can be withdrawn in the event of (a) abusive, (b) negligent and (c) financially exploitative behaviour.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 77534 on 17 October 2025.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what criteria her Department applies in classifying a country as (a) posing a threat to and (b) constituting an enemy of the United Kingdom; and whether those criteria include (i) hostility to democratic polities, (ii) possession of nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles, (iii) totalitarian domestic repressiveness and (iv) adherence to Marxist-Leninist communist ideology.

National security is the first duty of any government. The National Security Council ensures that Ministers consider national security in the round and in a strategic way. Robust intelligence analysis of any activity that might undermine our security underpins any judgment about national security threats. Formal assessments draw on multiple sources, taking into consideration a country's capability, intent, behaviours, and impact across a range of national interests. The Government is committed to countering state threat activity to protect our country and secure the national interest.

Whether he has received evidence on the potential clinical use of psilocybin under controlled conditions to treat serious psychiatric illness; whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of its use; and what procedures his Department has to (a) initiate and (b) undertake such an assessment.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is an executive agency of the Department and regulates medicine, medical devices, and blood components for transfusion in the United Kingdom, with responsibility for ensuring medicines meet appropriate standards of safety, quality, and efficacy.Clinical trials are underway in the UK to investigate psilocybin's use for various mental health conditions, with the open trials being in phases 1, 2, and 3, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and addiction. The MHRA is aware and is supporting the trials in this area to determine benefit versus risk. The MHRA is ready to review any data submitted to ensure an assessment of the quality, safety, and efficacy is completed rapidly upon submission.

Whether she has recently received representations from the (a) Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, (b) Royal College of Psychiatrists and (c) Department of Health on the potential clinical use of psilocybin under controlled conditions to treat serious psychiatric illness.

No recent representations on the potential clinical use of psilocybin to treatpsychiatric illness have been made to the Home Office by the AdvisoryCouncil on the Misuse of Drugs, Royal College of Psychiatrists or theDepartment of Health and Social Care.The Government recognises that studies into the potential use of psilocybinas part of the treatment for mental health conditions have been or are being conducted in the UK under Home Office licence.On 16 July, the Government responded to recommendations from theAdvisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) on how best to reducebarriers to clinical research with Schedule 1 drugs, such as psilocybin.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the time taken by public inquiries investigating specific adverse events in the last five years on (a) analysing past errors, (b) making preventative recommendations for the future, and (c) attributing blame.

The Government is committed to righting past wrongs and working to ensure victims get answers. Inquiries shed light on injustices of the past, provide a means for victims and survivors to finally have their voices heard, and can help to rebuild trust in national institutions. The Government recognises that there is growing criticism of Inquiry cost, duration and effectiveness. The government is actively considering whether there are changes that could enable inquiries to deliver outcomes and enable lessons to be learnt more swiftly and at lower cost.This is a substantial piece of work, led by the Cabinet Office, that will aim to improve how we identify wrongs, and get to the truth more quickly. We will continue to keep Parliament updated on this important subject.

What structures are in place for annual performance reviews for senior civil servants; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of those arrangements on (a) adequate scrutiny and (b) enhanced productivity.

Members of the Senior Civil Service (SCS) are subject to an annual performance review process, governed by the central SCS performance management framework published on Performance management framework for the Senior Civil Service (2025 to 2026 performance year) - GOV.UK The central framework is regularly reviewed to ensure that it is fit for purpose. Changes were introduced in April of this year, to ensure a greater focus on the productivity of the Senior Civil Service. This included the introduction of minimum standards, expected distribution and a cross-Government consistency check meeting.

What steps he is taking enable veterans who were dismissed from the Armed Forces on the basis of their sexuality to have their service records amended to reflect their treatment.

Service personnel who were dismissed from the Armed Forces on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity, can apply to have their discharge qualified. This qualification of administrative discharge will set right the records of Veterans who were administratively discharged under the ban in place between 1967 and 2000, as well as those discharged prior to 1967 due to historic law. The qualification of administrative discharge addresses recommendation 26 of Lord Etherton’s Independent Review and serves to remove any dishonour from their Service files and recognises that their discharge was wrong. Personnel who were administratively discharged following conviction/s for same-sex sexual offences will first need to apply for a disregard of their conviction/s through the Home Office’s Disregard and Pardon scheme. More information about the qualification of administrative discharge can be found on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/lgbt-veterans-support-and-next-steps

How many quangos his Department has dealings with; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reducing the number of these bodies.

‘Quangos’ is an obsolete term. They are now called Arm’s Length Bodies. The list of all Government Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs) can be found here [https://co-public-bodies.github.io/ALB_Landscape_Analysis_2023_24/08%20profilePagesIndex.html] along with the details of the 11 ALBs that Cabinet Office directly sponsors. In April the Government announced a review of all ALBs across government with a view to streamline governance and reduce bureaucracy. This review is ongoing.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the extent to which the functions of (a) national parks, (b) Natural England, (c) the Environment Agency and (d) Forestry England are (i) clearly delineated, (ii) complementary and (iii) overlapping; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of reducing the number of these bodies.

The Government is conducting a full review of all Arm’s Length Bodies. This review is ongoing, and the outcomes will be published in due course. However, as National Parks are not classified as Arm’s Length Bodies, they are not included in the review.

With reference to the National Cancer Audit Collaborating Centre's report entitled National Prostate Cancer Audit State of the Nation Report 2025, published in October 2025, what assessment his Department has made of the geographical variation in men being (a) over-treated and (b) under-treated for prostate cancer; and what steps he is taking to address these issues.

The Department is committed to getting the National Health Service diagnosing prostate cancer earlier, and treating it faster, so that more patients survive.The National Cancer audits are an essential tool in understanding variation in access to treatment across England and Wales. The NHS Cancer Programme’s workstream on treatment variation takes the recommendations from the ten cancer-focused audits and works with Cancer Alliances and the audit teams each year to assess and prioritise recommendations for focused action each year. Cancer Alliances work closely with their local specialty networks to identify and address opportunities to improve across their local areas. This includes taking action to address variation in over-treatment and under-treatment across the country.Reducing inequalities and geographical variation in cancer care is a top priority for the Government. The National Cancer Plan, due for publication early next year, will set out further details on how we will improve outcomes for prostate cancer patients in all part of England.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 October to Question 81237 on Army: Public Records, for what reason his security service personal file (PF 44288) has not been made available by her Department for release to the National Archive.

Government records are normally opened at the National Archives when they are 20-years old but, where they exist, some records are retained or closed, in line with the requirements of the Public Records Act 1958, in order to protect national security, international relations and sensitive personal data.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2025 to Question 77959 on Landscapes Review, if he will make it his policy to maintain the Protected Landscapes duty as enacted through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023, in the context of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

The government has no plans to repeal the Protected Landscapes duty.

For what reason the personal file (PF44288) relating to Major General JFC Fuller has not been made available by his Department for release to the National Archives.

Under the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Service Records Project approximately 10 million Service records of personnel with a date of birth prior to 1 January 1939, are in the process of being transferred from the MOD to The National Archives for permanent preservation. Service Records pertaining to Officers are yet to be transferred. A copy of Major General JFC Fuller’s Service Record can be requested through the following link: Get a copy of military records of service: Apply for the records of a deceased serviceperson - GOV.UK

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent representations she has received from the Campaign for National Parks on the effectiveness of the Protected Landscapes Duty, introduced under the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023, in promoting (a) earlier consideration of environmental aspects of planning proposals, (b) cleaner rivers, (c) improved public transport for rural communities, (d) stronger local economies, (d) more wildlife and biodiversity recovery and (e) fairer public access to nature; and whether the impact of the Protected Landscapes Duty has fulfilled the principal recommendations of the 2019 Glover Review.

The Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Defra and MHCLG Secretaries of State and the Minister for Nature received a letter from the Campaign for National Parks on 7 October 2025 titled ‘Do not weaken the laws protecting National Parks and National Landscapes’. We will respond in due course. The Government is working with a range of partners to consider the impact of the Protected Landscapes Duty. The duty is intended to facilitate better outcomes for England’s Protected Landscapes, which are in line with their statutory purposes. The Government has published guidance on the Protected Landscapes duty to ensure public bodies operating in these areas, including water companies, deliver better environmental outcomes working together with Protected Landscape organisations.

For what reason the contract to build small craft to support the Royal Navy was awarded to a foreign shipbuilder; and what British-based firms competing for that contract had their bids rejected.

The contract in question is a sub-contract awarded by Serco to procure 24 new vessels for the Royal Navy. This sub-contract is part of the Defence Marine Services In-Port Services contract between the Ministry of Defence and Serco, and accounts for less than 25% of the total contract value. The In-Port Services contract was sourced via a competitive tender process; however, Serco was the only tenderer to submit a bid. In accordance with the legislation in force at the time, Serco was free to select its sub-contractors, and the Ministry of Defence was not permitted under this legislation to require Serco to discriminate on grounds of nationality.

What discussions he has had with specialist bodies on the Warm Homes Plan; and when he plans to (a) publish and (b) implement the Plan.

The previous Minister for Energy Consumers had discussions with industry, local government and devolved governments in the development of the Warm Homes Plan.As the first step towards the Warm Homes Plan, the government committed an initial £3.4 billion over the next 3 years towards heat decarbonisation and household energy efficiency, with £1 billion of this allocated to 2025/2026.The department has also launched the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (WH:SHF) to support social housing providers and tenants in England, and the Warm Homes: Local Grant (WH:LG) to support low-income homeowners and private tenants in England. Further detail on the Warm Homes Plan will be set out in October.

What his policy is on (a) routine PSA testing for males in specific age categories and (b) the reimbursement of GP practices by the NHS for providing PSA tests; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of existing funding arrangements for PSA tests on the willingness of GP practices to provide routine testing.

There is no age limit on prostate specific antigen (PSA) tests.Advice for general practitioners (GPs) called the Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme provides information and guidance for GPs to counsel asymptomatic men about the potential benefits and harms of PSA testing so they can make an informed decision about whether to have the test. There is no routine testing of men using PSA. They are advised to follow National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance for men who they think may have symptoms that could be prostate cancer. This includes the use of PSA as a diagnostic rather than screening test.More information on the programme is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prostate-cancer-risk-management-programme-overviewWith regards reimbursement of GP practices by the National Health Service for providing PSA tests, local enhanced services, such as blood tests, are negotiated and agreed locally, and are commissioned by integrated care boards to fit the needs of the local population. GP practices can choose whether they would like to participate in providing these services. These services can vary in scope and funding across the country. We have not assessed the potential impact of this funding arrangement for PSA tests on GP willingness to provide testing.Where a man is symptomatic of prostate cancer, NICE guidance is clear about using the PSA test in these men. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng12/chapter/Recommendations-organised-by-site-of-cancer#urological-cancers

How many and what proportion of PSA tests have (a) accurately diagnosed, and (b) given false (i) negative and (ii) positive diagnoses for prostate cancer in the most recent year for which figures are available.

The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) in NHS England collects diagnosis and treatment data on cancer patients in England. NDRS does not hold information on the specific results of the prostate specific antigen test in the format requested.

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps with her international counterparts to include Commoners of the New Forest as a national minority according to the criteria for such a designation under the terms of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities laid down by the Council of Europe.

The UK Government is committed to support minority communities and uphold our obligations under the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities - to create a society in which all citizens feel acknowledged, safe and able to achieve their full potential. The flexibility provided in the Convention means that we can take a broad approach and consider the experience and specific needs of all minority communities in the UK, to ensure that they receive the support they require. As such, we have no plans for the New Forest Commoners to be formally recognised.

What recent estimate his Department has made of the numbers of Afghan (a) interpreters and (b) other personnel, who assisted UK armed forces and remain at risk from the Taliban whilst stranded in (i) Afghanistan and (ii) neighbouring countries, following the closure of UK resettlement schemes; and what legal routes will continue to exist for such individuals to seek safety.

The Government does not hold an estimate of the total number of people who may have been eligible for ARAP but did not apply. ARAP is a well-known scheme amongst the Afghan communities and has seen over 190,000 applications since it was opened in April 2021. Our assessment that the majority of those likely to be found eligible had already applied has been deduced from the fact that over the past two years, 95% of applications to the ARAP scheme have been found ineligible. The period following the first 12 months after Operation PITTING in Aug 2021 saw ineligible decisions begin to significantly overtake eligible ones. This trend has continued consistently to July 2025, when the ARAP scheme was shut to new applications. Individuals wishing to relocate to the UK can find further information online. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/illegal-migration-bill-factsheets/safe-and-legal-routes#what-safe-and-legal-routes-does-the-uk-offer