Written questions by Dhesi.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to prevent industrial lead entering (a) drinking water and (b) the food chain.

This Government is addressing the historic pollution of our rivers and estuaries by abandoned metal mines through a collaborative partnership between Defra, the Environment Agency, and the Mining Remediation Authority under the Water and Abandoned Metal Mines Programme. Mine water treatment schemes, constructed at identified priority pollution sites, can remove up to 90% of the harmful targeted metals, including lead, from the water coming from abandoned metal mines before the treated water is returned to the river. The Programme also constructs diffuse interventions to limit ‘diffuse pollution’ by metal contaminated sediment from mine wastes left on the surface. Industrial discharges to land and water are controlled by the Environment Agency permitting framework. Permitting, limits the level of lead discharged into the environment including raw water sources. Water companies carry out regular risk assessments of their raw water sources, such as rivers and reservoirs, to identify any potential risks from naturally occurring substances or historic and current industrial activity. Where necessary, they will treat, blend, or remove a source from use to ensure consumer safety. Water companies must demonstrate meeting the statutory limits for lead by providing regular compliance sample results from designated points in the supply network to the Drinking Water Inspectorate.

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of support available to carers of dementia patients in (a) Slough and (b) the South East.

The Government is committed to ensuring that families of people with dementia have the support they need.Local authorities have duties to support people caring for their family and friends. The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable, high-quality care and support services, including support for carers.The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is assessing how well local authorities in England are delivering their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, including their duties related to carers.The CQC has published their assessments of 17 councils in London and the South East. They will publish the assessment reports for Slough and other local authorities in the South East in due course.

If he will make an estimate of the number of people living with dementia without a medical diagnosis in (a) the South East and (b) Slough.

No specific estimate has been made as the information is not held in the format requested. However, NHS England publishes monthly dementia diagnosis data in the primary care dementia data set official statistics. Data for March 2025 showed that the number of patients with a recorded diagnosis of dementia was 83,945 in the South East, and 610 in Slough. The number of people estimated with dementia ranges from 122,500 to 147,000 in the South East, and 900 to 1,200 in Slough.

What recent steps her Department has taken to help tackle offshore tax non-compliance.

The government has announced significant additional resource for HMRC. This includes an increase of around 400 people over the next five years to tackle offshore non-compliance by wealthy people, estimated to bring in £500 million in additional compliance yield over the same period: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spring-statement-2025-document/spring-statement-2025-html The government is also ensuring that HMRC has the international data it needs and is implementing the Cryptoasset Reporting Framework and amendments to the Common Reporting Standard:Cryptoasset Reporting Framework, Common Reporting Standard amendments, and seeking views on extension to domestic reporting - summary of responses - GOV.UK

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of dementia research funding.

Government responsibility for delivering dementia research is shared between the Department of Health and Social Care, with research delivered via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation.Government funders are investing in dementia research across all areas, from causes, diagnosis, and prevention, to treatment, care, and support, including for carers. Between the financial years 2019/20 and 2023/24, the Government spent £496.4 million on dementia research.Whilst no recent assessment has been made of the adequacy of dementia research funding, the NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including dementia. These applications are subject to peer reviews and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. Welcoming applications on dementia to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of the amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.

What recent discussions he has had with local councils on the implementation of VALOUR support centres.

On 5 May 2025 my hon. Friend, the Minister for Veterans and People (Al Carns) announced VALOUR, a new UK-wide approach to veteran support, to foster the enterprising spirit of veteran charities, better connect local and national services and ensure that veterans’ support is data driven. We will establish a network of field officers and VALOUR-recognised support centres, overseen by the Office for Veterans’ Affairs. The detailed structures and processes that will underpin VALOUR will be designed in collaboration with relevant partners. That includes engagement and discussions with a range of stakeholders including local councils, who are a vital partner in this new endeavour.

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the equality of access to fertility services for LGBTQ+ people.

In the light of broader pressures on the National Health Service and on-going changes within NHS England, we have been looking again at achievable ambitions to improve access to fertility services and fairness for all affected couples.We expect these organisations to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. The NICE is currently reviewing its fertility guidelines.

What steps he has taken to help support decarbonisation industries in Slough.

We are committed to supporting UK industry to decarbonise, protecting thousands of jobs in regions across the UK and enabling the country to take advantage of new opportunities that can promote growth and wealth creation. We will bring forward a clear plan for industrial decarbonisation. A renewed Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy will set the strategic direction for our approach to working with industry towards a competitive and low carbon industrial base in the UK, ensuring growth opportunities are captured in tandem with emissions reductions.

What recent discussions he has had with retailers on (a) mitigating and (b) preventing ransomware attacks.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is working in close coordination with law enforcement, the Department for Business and Trade and other relevant government departments to support each of the affected retailers. This includes providing technical expertise and strategic guidance which assist with incident response and recovery.The NCSC is maintaining active engagement with the wider retail sector to share threat information and offer mitigative guidance aimed at reducing the risk from further incidents.The Government offers free guidance, tools and training to help businesses improve their cyber resilience. This includes a new Cyber Governance Code of Practice to help boards and directors manage digital risks, and the Cyber Essentials scheme which is highly effective in protecting businesses against cyber-attacks.Details of any Ministerial and Senior Officials' meetings and engagements can be found in the Department’s quarterly transparency returns on Gov.uk.

Innovation and Technology, what comparative assessment he has made of the regulatory approach by (a) the UK and (b) other advanced digital economies on enforcing a minimum age for the use of encrypted messaging services.

End-to-end encryption is a vital part of our digital world, and the government supports its responsible use. However, encryption should not allow tech companies to forego their responsibilities around keeping their users safe.The Online Safety Act includes some of the strongest protections globally to ensure children are protected in encrypted environments. Section 121 gives Ofcom the power to issue tech notices to regulated services to deal with CSEA content, even if this is communicated within an encrypted environment.The government continues to monitor international developments in this space.

Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with Meta on generative artificial intelligence models.

Ministers from DCMS and DSIT have convened a series of roundtables with the tech sector and the cultural and creative industries regarding our consultation on Copyright and AI. All ministerial meetings are published quarterly.

What steps her Department is taking to tackle car-related crimes in Slough.

This Government is determined to drive down vehicle crime and we are working with the automotive industry and police, including working closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead on the issue, to ensure the strongest response possible to this damaging crime.Through the Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced measures to ban electronic devices used to steal vehicles, empowering the police and courts to target the criminals using, manufacturing and supplying them. This will support the changes manufacturers continue to make to prevent thefts.We also provided £250,000 funding in the last financial year to help support work at the ports to prevent stolen vehicles and vehicle parts being shipped abroad.Via the National Vehicle Crime Reduction Partnership and the police-led National Vehicle Crime Working Group, we are focusing on prevention and deterrence of theft of and from vehicles. This includes training police officers on the methods used to steal vehicles, encouraging vehicle owners to secure their vehicles, and working with industry to address vulnerabilities in vehicles.In recent weeks, the Security Minister and I have each met vehicle manufacturers to discuss these issues. Officials also regularly engage and work with industry to discuss workable solutions to help prevent vehicle theft.

Communities and Local Government, what engagement her Department has had with local authorities on compliance with their Covenant Legal Duty.

I refer the hon Member to my letter of 4 April 2025 to the Defence Committee on this subject. I will also share a copy of the letter with his office.As lead department for the Covenant, the Ministry of Defence also engages regularly with local authorities on implementation and delivery of the Covenant.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to help reduce (a) waste and (b) pollution from waterways in the Thames Valley region.

Water quality impacts from wastewater pollution and agriculture are two of the key pressures resulting in many waterbodies not currently achieving good ecological status. There are many Wastewater Treatment Works, operated by Thames Water, that discharge to rivers in the Thames Valley. Improving water quality by securing investment to improve wastewater treatment remains a priority for the Environment Agency (EA) and Ofwat. As does reducing pollution from waste and water quality from agriculture and road runoff. The recent information published by the EA on 2024 storm overflows shows the number and duration of spills remains unacceptably high and water companies, including Thames Water, have a long way to go to reduce sewage pollution. The EA continues to respond and investigate any significant pollution incidents. There have been a number of significant pollution incidents at some Thames Water sites in the Thames Valley region in recent years and these are subject to ongoing EA investigations. The EA has undertaken recent inspections of Wastewater Treatment Works across the Thames Valley. Water quality impacts from diffuse pollution including agriculture are also a key pressure affecting waterbodies in the Thames Valley. The EA has increased the number of farm inspections, helping farmers comply with legal requirements and requiring actions to reduce pollution.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support local councils to tackle fly-tipping.

Fly-tipping is a serious crime which blights local communities and the environment. Local authorities have a range of enforcement powers to help them tackle fly-tipping including fixed penalty notices of up to £1000, vehicle seizure and prosecution action which can lead to a significant fine or even imprisonment. We encourage councils to make good use of their enforcement powers and are taking steps to develop new guidance to support them to consistently, appropriately and effectively exercise these existing powers.  We have also announced a review of council powers to seize and crush the vehicles of suspected fly-tippers, to identify how we could help councils make better use of this tool. We committed to forcing fly-tippers to clean up the mess that they have created as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour. We will provide further details on this commitment in due course. In the meantime, Defra continue to chair the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group through which we work with a wide range of stakeholders, such as local authorities and the Environment Agency, to share good practice on preventing fly-tipping. Various practical tools are available from their webpage which is available at: https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/national-fly-tipping-prevention-group#.

What steps her Department is taking to protect the rail network from cyber attacks.

The Department for Transport (DfT) runs a cyber programme aimed at understanding and addressing risks and vulnerabilities across all modes of transport, including rail, and works across government to introduce relevant standards, guidance, and policies to ensure the cyber resilience of essential services.The department uses both policy and regulatory levers to help the sector manage cyber risk and secure its systems, networks and assets. This work includes efforts to promote a more consistent and resilient approach to managing cyber risks across operational practices and the broader rail ecosystem. We work closely with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), industry stakeholders, and other partners to continuously assess and mitigate emerging cyber threats.

What steps her Department has taken to prevent signal cabling theft on the rail network.

Tackling trespass and vandalism, including cable theft, is a top priority for the rail industry, alongside the British Transport Police (BTP) who are responsible for policing the railway in England, Scotland and Wales. BTP adopts an intelligence-led approach to combat cable theft across the rail network, working closely with partners such as Network Rail and the National Infrastructure Crime Reduction Partnership to identify high-risk areas and target their resources effectively. The Department for Transport is using strengthened relationships with Shadow Great British Railways partners such as Network Rail, the DfT Operator and Train Operating Companies to identify immediate and longer-term measures to reduce the impact on railway performance. This work includes improved physical deterrence, the use of new technology and better data collection and analysis.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to support local supermarkets to ensure the adequate provision of battery bins.

Under the current regulations, retailers selling more than 32kg of portable batteries must have a collection point at all premises from which batteries are supplied. Retailers can search online for a batteries compliance scheme who will collect these batteries free of charge and can advise in respect of collection bins. There is no legal requirement for retailers selling less than 32kg of batteries each year to make collection provisions, but they can still enquire with a battery compliance scheme as to how they may be able to assist. More information can be found at https://www.gov.uk/battery-waste-supplier-reponsibilities.

Communities and Local Government, what recent progress her Department has made on working with developers to ensure unsafe buildings are remediated quickly.

54 developers have signed the developer remediation contract. MHCLG publishes quarterly updates on progress that developers are making. As of 31 March 2025, those developers had identified 1,700 buildings with life-critical fire safety defects that they are obligated to directly remediate. Developers had started or completed work on 49% of these buildings. Further detail is in the monthly Building Safety Data Release here.On 2 December 2024, we published a joint plan to accelerate developer-led remediation and improve resident experience. 39 developers (accounting for over 95% of buildings to be remediated by developers) have signed up to the joint plan. In doing so, those developers have committed to ambitious stretch targets to finish assessing all their buildings by July 2025, and to start or complete remedial works on 80% of relevant buildings by July 2026 and on all relevant buildings by July 2027.Government is holding developers to account. This includes working with developers to overcome barriers to remediation and improve resident experience through a monthly Remediation Action Group.

What steps she is taking to help end discrimination against disabled people.

I refer the Hon. member to the answer I gave on 5 February to PQ 27692.