Written questions by Wrigley.

If he will meet with the hon. Member for Newton Abbot and patients from Newton Abbot that cannot access NHS dental care.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population. For the Newton Abott constituency, this is the One Devon ICB.The Government is committed to ensuring people can access urgent dental care when they need it. Over the past year, ICBs have been commissioning additional urgent dental appointments and there is now an urgent care safety net available in all areas of the country. 1.8 million additional courses of NHS dental treatment have been delivered in the seven months between April to October 2025 compared to the corresponding months prior to the general election. We are committed to delivering fundamental reform of the dental contract before the end of this Parliament. As a first step, on 16 December we published the Government’s response to the public consultation on quality and payment reforms to the NHS dental contract. The changes will be introduced from April 2026. These reforms will put patients with the greatest need first, incentivising urgent care and complex treatments. Further information is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/nhs-dentistry-contract-quality-and-payment-reforms/outcome/government-response-to-consultation-on-nhs-dentistry-contract-quality-and-payment-reformsIf the hon. Member were to formally request a meeting in writing, I would be happy to consider his request.

Food and Rural Affairs, what national policy framework governs the protection of hydrologically sensitive Sites of Special Scientific Interest where Environmental Delivery Plans are not in place.

The protection of Sites of Special Scientific Interest, including those that are hydrologically sensitive is governed principally by section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and paragraph 193(b) of the National Planning Policy Framework.

Which professional bodies, patient organisations, Integrated Care Boards and dental workforce representatives are being consulted on NHS dental contract reform.

In Summer 2025, we held a public consultation on a package of proposals of changes to the current National Health Service contract, to address some of the pressing issues that dentists and dental teams are experiencing. The Government response has been published and received a total of 2,289 completed responses. Of these responses, 60% were from individuals sharing their personal views and experiences, 33% were from individuals sharing their professional views, and 7% were from individuals providing a response on behalf of an organisation. The reforms will be implemented from April 2026 onwards.The Government is committed to more fundamental contract reform by the end of this Parliament. This will include a public consultation on the future proposals. As well as working towards a full public consultation, we are continuing to engage with the sector regularly, including the British Dental Association and other representatives, on these reforms to scope potential changes. While we do not publish information on official level meetings, details of ministerial meetings with external stakeholders are published quarterly in arrears on the GOV.UK website.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment Natural England has made of hydrological impacts on wetland Sites of Special Scientific Interest being mitigated through post‑construction monitoring or compensation measures.

Post-construction monitoring or compensation measures are secured by the local planning authority through mechanisms such as conditions. Natural England has a programme of SSSI monitoring through feature assessments and the results are available on Designated Sites View.

Food and Rural Affairs, what scientific evidence Natural England is using to determine whether a development has a potential hydrological impacts on hydrologically dependent Sites of Special Scientific Interest, including wetlands such as Wolborough Fen.

Natural England assesses all available information on both impacts and mitigation and uses professional judgement and scientific expertise to provide advice to decision-makers.

Food and Rural Affairs, to ask the Department, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2026 to Question 115602 on Nature Conservation: Planning Permission, what guidance her Department issues to Natural England on assessing hydrological risks to wetland Sites of Special Scientific Interest when providing advice on major housing developments.

This is determined by various legislation and the National Planning Policy Framework.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2026 to Question 115602 on Nature Conservation: Planning Permission, what monitoring requirements are required for developments located near hydrologically sensitive wetlands.

Any monitoring requirement would depend on the nature of both the development and the wetland’s protected status.

How his Department plans to measure the potential impact of NHS dental contract reforms on improving access to dentistry in rural and coastal communities.

We are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a dentist, particularly in more rural and coastal areas. From April 2026, we will be implementing reforms to the current National Health Service dental contract to improve access for patients with urgent and complex needs. A full impact assessment on the reforms has been published and is available at the following link: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2026/42 The Department will monitor the impact of the reforms post-implementation, including through the monitoring of annually published statistics. We are committed to delivering further, fundamental reform of the dental contract before the end of this Parliament.

What estimate he has made of when NHS dental contract would increase the availability of NHS dental appointments in areas currently experiencing limited access.

Over the past year, integrated care boards have been commissioning additional urgent dental appointments and there is now an urgent care safety net available in all areas of the country. 1.8 million additional courses of National Health Service dental treatment have been delivered in the seven months between April to October 2025 compared to the corresponding months prior to the general election. We are committed to delivering fundamental reform of the dental contract before the end of this Parliament. And from April 2026, we will be implementing reforms to the current NHS dental contract which are expected to improve access for patients with urgent and complex needs. A full impact assessment on the reforms has been published and is available at the following link: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2026/42

What his Department's definition is of a strategic supplier; and what criteria his Department uses to designate strategic suppliers.

A Ministry of Defence strategic supplier is a supplier whose goods or services are critical to the delivery of Defence objectives, and where a more structured and senior level of engagement is required to manage risk, performance and value for money. Strategic suppliers are identified through a structured supplier segmentation process, aligned with cross‑Government Strategic Supplier Relationship Management (SSRM) best‑practice criteria. These criteria include considerations relating to risk, the scale and scope of engagement with the supplier, contract duration, the opportunity to deliver additional value, and strategic alignment. Spend is considered as one factor among several and is not, in itself, determinative.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2026 to Question 111950, whether his Department plans to classify Palantir Technologies as a strategic supplier.

Strategic suppliers are selected based on the scale, scope and criticality of the services they provide, and are overseen centrally to observe their performance in the delivery of public services. Palantir is not a strategic supplier to government and there are no plans to classify the company as a strategic supplier at this time. The two largest UK public sector contracts with Palantir are the NHS Federated Data Platform contract (FDP) and the MOD Palantir Enterprise Agreement (EA). These contracts were initially awarded by the previous government. Further information on Crown Representatives and the strategic suppliers they work with is published on gov.uk. This list is under regular review and suppliers are added or removed as part of larger supplier segmentation exercises. Details of central government contracts above £12,000 for procurements commenced before 24 February 2025 are published on Contracts Finder. Contracts procured under the Procurement Act 2023, which came into force on 24 February 2025, are published on the Central Digital Platform Find a Tender service.

Whether Palantir's Government contract revenues will exceed £100 million in a single financial year from 2025-26 onwards.

Strategic suppliers are selected based on the scale, scope and criticality of the services they provide, and are overseen centrally to observe their performance in the delivery of public services. Palantir is not a strategic supplier to government and there are no plans to classify the company as a strategic supplier at this time. The two largest UK public sector contracts with Palantir are the NHS Federated Data Platform contract (FDP) and the MOD Palantir Enterprise Agreement (EA). These contracts were initially awarded by the previous government. Further information on Crown Representatives and the strategic suppliers they work with is published on gov.uk. This list is under regular review and suppliers are added or removed as part of larger supplier segmentation exercises. Details of central government contracts above £12,000 for procurements commenced before 24 February 2025 are published on Contracts Finder. Contracts procured under the Procurement Act 2023, which came into force on 24 February 2025, are published on the Central Digital Platform Find a Tender service.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2026 to Question 111950 on Palantir: Contracts, what data his Department collects on the cumulative cost to the public purse of suppliers not classified as strategic that have contracts with more than one Government department with a total value in excess of £100 million.

Strategic suppliers are selected based on the scale, scope and criticality of the services they provide, and are overseen centrally to observe their performance in the delivery of public services. Palantir is not a strategic supplier to government and there are no plans to classify the company as a strategic supplier at this time. The two largest UK public sector contracts with Palantir are the NHS Federated Data Platform contract (FDP) and the MOD Palantir Enterprise Agreement (EA). These contracts were initially awarded by the previous government. Further information on Crown Representatives and the strategic suppliers they work with is published on gov.uk. This list is under regular review and suppliers are added or removed as part of larger supplier segmentation exercises. Details of central government contracts above £12,000 for procurements commenced before 24 February 2025 are published on Contracts Finder. Contracts procured under the Procurement Act 2023, which came into force on 24 February 2025, are published on the Central Digital Platform Find a Tender service.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2026 to Question 111950, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of its data-collection arrangements; and what steps he is taking to ensure that his Department is made aware of all high-value and cross-departmental contracts.

Strategic suppliers are selected based on the scale, scope and criticality of the services they provide, and are overseen centrally to observe their performance in the delivery of public services. Palantir is not a strategic supplier to government and there are no plans to classify the company as a strategic supplier at this time. The two largest UK public sector contracts with Palantir are the NHS Federated Data Platform contract (FDP) and the MOD Palantir Enterprise Agreement (EA). These contracts were initially awarded by the previous government. Further information on Crown Representatives and the strategic suppliers they work with is published on gov.uk. This list is under regular review and suppliers are added or removed as part of larger supplier segmentation exercises. Details of central government contracts above £12,000 for procurements commenced before 24 February 2025 are published on Contracts Finder. Contracts procured under the Procurement Act 2023, which came into force on 24 February 2025, are published on the Central Digital Platform Find a Tender service.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2026 to Question 111950, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of designating Palantir Technologies a strategic supplier.

Strategic suppliers are selected based on the scale, scope and criticality of the services they provide, and are overseen centrally to observe their performance in the delivery of public services. Palantir is not a strategic supplier to government and there are no plans to classify the company as a strategic supplier at this time. The two largest UK public sector contracts with Palantir are the NHS Federated Data Platform contract (FDP) and the MOD Palantir Enterprise Agreement (EA). These contracts were initially awarded by the previous government. Further information on Crown Representatives and the strategic suppliers they work with is published on gov.uk. This list is under regular review and suppliers are added or removed as part of larger supplier segmentation exercises. Details of central government contracts above £12,000 for procurements commenced before 24 February 2025 are published on Contracts Finder. Contracts procured under the Procurement Act 2023, which came into force on 24 February 2025, are published on the Central Digital Platform Find a Tender service.

Whether he plans to assign Palantir Technologies a Crown Representative.

Strategic suppliers are selected based on the scale, scope and criticality of the services they provide, and are overseen centrally to observe their performance in the delivery of public services. Palantir is not a strategic supplier to government and there are no plans to classify the company as a strategic supplier at this time. The two largest UK public sector contracts with Palantir are the NHS Federated Data Platform contract (FDP) and the MOD Palantir Enterprise Agreement (EA). These contracts were initially awarded by the previous government. Further information on Crown Representatives and the strategic suppliers they work with is published on gov.uk. This list is under regular review and suppliers are added or removed as part of larger supplier segmentation exercises. Details of central government contracts above £12,000 for procurements commenced before 24 February 2025 are published on Contracts Finder. Contracts procured under the Procurement Act 2023, which came into force on 24 February 2025, are published on the Central Digital Platform Find a Tender service.

Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance her Department has issued to water companies on installing backup systems to prevent pump failures following short-duration electricity outages.

Under the Security and Emergency Measures Direction (SEMD), water companies are required to maintain a supply of water during emergencies, including short‑duration power outages. The SEMD obliges companies to assess risks and implement appropriate measures, and Defra works with them to monitor compliance and preparedness for short‑term risks.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of settlement terms for loan charge liabilities in place (a) before and (b) after 2021 on the finances of people affected.

The focus of the Independent Review of the Loan Charge was on taking action to help those individuals who do not yet have certainty about their liabilities, or who still owe money, to move on from this matter. The review identified affordability as a key barrier preventing some individuals from settling and made recommendations to remove this barrier. The Government has gone further in supporting people on the lowest incomes by providing an additional £5,000 deduction for those in scope of the review. This entirely removes approximately 10,000 individuals from the charge. This will come at a substantial Exchequer cost over the next five years. It represents the Government’s attempt to provide a fair route to resolution for those who have not settled with HMRC. In turn, those people need to come forward and engage with HMRC in good faith.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has issued guidance on the statutory limits that apply to the number of unplanned water supply interruptions permitted in a single locality within a calendar year.

This Government has doubled compensation payments and introduced a range of new standards to the Guaranteed Standards Scheme (GSS) which requires companies to automatically make a payment to all affected customers if it fails to meet the standards set out in the scheme. An unplanned water supply interruption would be one such example. GSS payments are triggered for each interruption, and further automatic payments incurred for a continued lack of supply.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the resilience of South West Water’s infrastructure serving the village of Ashcombe.

Decisions on sewer provision sit with South West Water, but if the community believes a mains connection is needed, a Section 101A application can be submitted for assessment. The EA can support residents with guidance on compliance with the General Binding Rules, their Environmental Permit and Section 101A application.