Written questions by Smith.

What steps she is taking to ensure that the necessary licences for marine autonomy sea trials to take place can be granted by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

The MCA have engaged with Harbour Masters and the Defence Maritime Regulator to facilitate creation of maritime autonomy sea trial areas. MCA are also in discussions with the Government Legal Department to explore avenues for providing the necessary certification. Necessary guidance is also being drafted to communicate the requirements to all concerned, prior to any agreement.

How many defence SMEs in South West Devon constituency have a) applied for and b) received funding from the Defence and Security Accelerator.

UK Defence Innovation Defence and Security Accelerator (UKDI-DASA) does not track constituency level data but does track data regionally. There have been 237 UKDI-DASA funded projects in the South West totalling £51.2 million, 169 of those were awarded to Small and Medium Enterprises.

How many defence SMEs in South West Devon constituency have a) applied for and b) received funding from the Exploration Fund.

Funding from the Exploration Fund (ExF) is allocated internally to projects within the Ministry of Defence, some of which may include provisions for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs). SMEs cannot apply directly for funding from the ExF. Constituency-specific data for the EfX is not maintained.

Communities and Local Government, what his policy is on the treatment of surplus funds held by district councils, including West Devon Borough Council and South Hams District Council, in the event that those authorities are incorporated into a new unitary authority; and whether such surpluses will be used to offset the existing debts of other authorities within the proposed unitary structure.

It is expected that assets and liabilities remain locally managed by councils. It is essential that councils continue to deliver their business-as-usual services and duties during and after local government reorganisation. The Department will continue to operate its stewardship function to ensure councils are meeting their Best Value duty. The 2024 Guidance on Best Value Standards and Intervention describes the characteristics of a well-functioning authority, and in relation to handling assets the sections on governance, use of resources, service delivery and partnerships and community engagement are particularly relevant.

How many defence SMEs in South West Devon constituency have a) applied for and b) received funding from the Defence Innovation Fund.

Funding from the Defence Innovation Fund (DiF) is allocated internally to projects within the Ministry of Defence, some of which may include provisions for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs). SMEs cannot apply directly for funding from the DiF. Constituency-specific data for the DiF is not maintained.

When she plans to publish the draft statutory Code of Practice governing retail market conduct under Great British Railways; whether she plans to consult on that Code of Practice; and whether that Code will be in place ahead of the commencement of Great British Railways’ retail functions.

The future rail retail industry code of practice will set out clear requirements for how Great British Railways (GBR) interacts with all market participants. It will be owned and managed by the ORR, and GBR’s licence will require compliance with it. The Railways Bill enables the Secretary of State to introduce the licence condition that will underpin the code of practice and give it force. The government has confirmed that there will be full consultation on the production of the code of practice. Further detail on that consultation will be set out in due course. The Code of Practice will come into force in alignment with GBR's beginning to retail and taking on responsibility for wider retail industry management functions.

What her estimate is of the a) initial set-up and b) ongoing costs associated with Great British Railways’ future retail capability via website and app.

The government has set out plans for GBR to retail online, bringing together the 14 rail operator websites and apps. This will reduce fragmentation, deliver savings through removing duplication, and provide a more coherent passenger offer. The costs and savings associated with GBR's website and app will be continually assessed as this work progresses, with a view to delivering for passengers and taxpayers alike.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the the amount of smoke pollution caused by wildfires in the UK in (a) 2024 and (b) in 2025; and if she will make a statement.

The estimates for emissions from wildfires in 2024 will be published in February 2026, and the estimates for 2025 will be published in February 2027.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of its plans for business rates reform on the (a) wholesale sector and (b) (i) number of jobs and (ii) levels of costs in the wholesale sector.

The Government is creating a fairer business rates system that protects the high street, supports investment, and is fit for the 21st century. As announced at Autumn Budget 2024, the Government will introduce permanently lower businessrates multipliers for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values (RVs) below £500,000 from 2026/27. To fund these lower RHL multipliers sustainably, from 2026/27, the Government is also introducing a higher multiplier on properties with RVs of £500,000 and above. The final design, including the rates, for the new business rates multipliers will be announced at Budget 2025, so that the Government can factor the revaluation outcomes and broader economic and fiscal context into decision-making. The Government has considered the impact of these policies on a range of sectors as part of the policy development process.

When the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency plans to open its Early Access Service for innovative technologies in areas of unmet clinical need.

In July of this year the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency published a statement of policy intent for the development and implementation of an Early Access Service for innovative medical devices. This statement is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statement-of-policy-intent-early-access-to-innovative-medical-devices/statement-of-policy-intent-early-access-to-innovative-medical-devices#next-steps The service aims to speed up safe access to innovative medical devices for patients, supporting the Government’s Life Sciences Sector Plan. The statement set out our intention to work with stakeholders across the life science ecosystem to further develop the policy and to build the internal capability required to deliver the service throughout 2025. Further information on our plans will be provided in early 2026.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 80709 on Churches: Aerials, what estimate she has made of the average change in rents paid to (a) churches, (b) local authorities, (c) other public authorities and (d) private landowners for hosting telecommunications masts since the amendment of the Electronic Communications Code under the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022.

Measures included in the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 will extend the statutory valuation framework contained in the Electronic Communications Code to certain cases regulated by the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 and the Business Tenancies (Northern Ireland) Order 1996. These measures have not yet come into force and therefore no assessment has been made of their impact on rents.Following the 2017 reforms to the Electronic Communications Code, government representatives engaged regularly with stakeholders about their impact. The changes made by the 2022 Act were consulted on and received Parliamentary scrutiny during passage of the Act.

When her Department plans to publish its updated violence against women and girls strategy.

This Government has been clear that the level of violence against women andgirls (VAWG) in our country is intolerable, and we are treating it as the national emergency that it is.The new VAWG Strategy will set the direction for the next decade, driving forward the Government’s bold ambition to halve VAWG within ten years. Thisis a landmark commitment that demands a truly transformational approach.We are working tirelessly across government to deliver a Strategy that will setout bold, concrete actions to prevent violence and abuse, pursue perpetratorsand bring them to justice, and protect victims and survivors. It’s vital we get itright.We’re working towards publication of the Strategy as soon as possibleand I will continue to keep the House updated on its development andforthcoming publication.

What criteria her Department will use to determine the locations of new Defence Technical Colleges of Excellence.

A £182 million defence skills package was announced at the start of September in the Defence Industrial Strategy. This aims to make defence an engine for national renewal and economic growth, harnessing the skills needed for the future, from submarine engineers to specialist welders. The package centres on establishing five Defence Technical Excellence Colleges (DTECs), training people in the skills needed to secure new defence jobs in this growing industry.Exact locations are yet to be determined, and colleges will be appointed through a fair and transparent application process. The selection process for these DTECs will start by the end of 2025, with delivery planned to begin from April 2026. Further details will be published in due course.

Whether the updated Violence Against Women and Girls strategy will include policies on tackling harms against (a) young boys vulnerable to child sexual abuse and (b) all children.

This Government has been clear that the level of violence against women and girls (VAWG) in our country is intolerable, and we are treating it as the national emergency that it is.The new VAWG Strategy will set the direction for the next decade, driving forward the Government’s bold ambition to halve VAWG within ten years. This is a landmark commitment that demands a truly transformational approach.Tackling child sexual abuse and exploitation of both boys and girls will be clearly reflected in the VAWG strategy. But we also recognise that tackling child sexual abuse requires a tailored and child-centred approach. Which is why we are taking forward a separate and ambitious programme of work across Government, including through our response to the Baroness Casey Audit and IICSA recommendations.The new VAWG Strategy is being finalised, and we will be publishing as soon as possible.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of funding for (a) research into and (b) the treatment of low-grade glioma; and whether he plans to increase that funding.

The Department invests over £1.6 billion per year in research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).The NIHR is continuing to invest in brain tumour research. Working with stakeholders from across the research community, in September 2024 the NIHR launched a package of support to stimulate high-quality research applications through: establishing a national Brain Tumour Research Consortium to bring together researchers from different disciplines to drive scientific advancements in how to prevent, detect, manage, and treat brain tumours; a dedicated funding call for research into wraparound care and rehabilitation for people living with brain tumours; and a partnership with the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission to fund the next generation of researchers through the Allied Health Professionals Brain Tumour Research Fellowship programme.The NIHR continues to welcome high quality funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including low-grade glioma.

Whether she plans to extend the temporary five pence fuel duty reduction.

The Government carefully considers the impact of fuel duty on households and businesses and the public finances, with decisions on rates made at fiscal events.

Whether she plans to take steps to help support independent fostering agencies to improve their co-commissioning practices.

The department’s priority is to recruit and retain more foster carers so there is a choice of stable, loving foster homes for children in care.We encourage local authorities and independent fostering agencies to collaborate and offer the best possible homes for children in care. We welcome sector efforts such as the National Fostering Model Contract, which was co-produced by local authorities and Independent Fostering Agencies, which aim to improve commissioning processes.The department is establishing Regional Care Cooperatives to improve the overarching approach to commissioning placements to best meet the needs of children. There are currently two Regional Care Cooperatives, one in Greater Manchester, and one in the South East, and we will continue to work with these regions to strengthen their commissioning approaches, which will include working closely with the relevant independent fostering agencies.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the 2017 Electronic Communications Code reform on rent revenues earned by church properties hosting mobile communications infrastructure.

No specific assessment has been made on the impact of the 2017 reforms on church properties. In the impact assessment produced in 2016 to accompany the 2017 reforms, it was anticipated that there would be a reduction in rents from operators to landowners but that it would be difficult to precisely predict the effect of the reforms on rental payments. The impact assessment referenced independent analysis conducted by the specialist telecommunications consultancy Nordicity, commissioned by DCMS, which estimated a potential 40% decrease in rents.

Representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment the Commissioners have made of the potential impact of the implementation of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 on revenue to churches.

In February 2018 the Church of England signed an Accord with HM Government to develop guidance for dioceses, parishes and Chancellors to enable digital connectivity. This was in response to concerns about the social consequences of uneven deployment of digital connectivity, particularly in rural areas. The Accord can be viewed online, here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a86eb9540f0b62305b9559c/2018_02_18_Church_of_England_-_HMG_Accord.docx__1_.pdf Following its obligations under the Accord, and acknowledging the difficulty for Code Operators in dealing separately with many thousands of self-governing parishes, the Church of England’s commercial arm then signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with all four Mobile Network OperatorsThese MoUs provide a single point of contact for the Operators, a company called NET CS, a managed process to navigate permissions under church and planning laws for heritage buildings, and a template licence for use by parishesThe Electronic Communications Code, as amended by this Act, requires valuing a property rent at market value, but importantly this must now exclude any value related to it being for the “use of an electronic communications network”. This means that comparable evidence of telecom and Church rental agreements established before the Code was introduced can no longer be used to determine a rent, so that Church rental yields are likely to suffer materially.In most cases this change to the valuation basis (in the case of churches, a relatively small space in a tower) means that for new agreements, or on renewal of agreements coming to term after perhaps 20 years, the revenue for landlords – churches, local and other public authorities, as well as private landowners - is much lower than it used to be before the changes to the Code, sometimes as much as 85% lessHowever, the consensual agreement with Operators under the Church of England MoUs is providing much better revenue for parishes than market value under the Electronic Communications Code, so long as parishes elect to use these MoU consensual agreements. This revenue is a useful addition for hard-pressed parochial church councils which are trustees of parishes charged with the costs of maintaining centuries-old listed heritage buildings.

What estimate her Department has made of the cost to the public purse for the (a) implementation, (b) administration, (c) staffing, (d) system development and (e) compliance in relation to the proposed changes to Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief.

I refer to the answer given on 5 September 2025 to PQ UIN 70546.https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-08-29/70546