Written questions by Dhesi.

Whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on the potential merits of incorporating the Civil Nuclear Constabulary into the National Police Service.

The White Paper “From Local to National: A New Model for Policing” sets out the Government’s proposals on the National Police Service. Further details will be set out in legislation when Parliamentary time allows.

When her department last assessed the financial penalty for driving without insurance; and what assessment was made of the costs of purchasing insurance relative to the costs of paying a fine.

The Government recognises that motor insurance premiums have increased, while the fines for driving uninsured have remained the same. We want to ensure that there are the right incentives in place, and that is why, as part of our new Road Safety Strategy we are consulting on changes to the motoring offences including consideration of whether the minimum penalties for the offence of driving uninsured should be increased.

How many instances of delayed hearings and trials were caused by the defendant not being produced from prison as required in each of the last three years.

The figures below show the total number of reported delays to hearings and trials over the last three years where the defendant was not produced from prison as required on time. The figures reflect overall reported incidents rather than being attributed solely to the PECS supplier.2023 = 10722024 = 12722025 = 1297Evidence from recent performance reporting shows consistent sustained levels of PECS supplier delivery to court, with supplier-attributable delays remaining low relative to overall court production volumes. In 2025, overall criminal justice system delivery to court was timely in 98.19% of cases; PECS suppliers met contractual expectations by delivering prisoners to court on time in 99.91% of cases.We recognise the problems we inherited in prisoner transfer with delays occurring at prisons, en route between prison and court and at courts themselves in bringing prisoners to the dock. The Minister of State for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending and I have launched a new oversight body established to review prisoner transfer from end to end. This will monitor and drive performance improvements in prisoner transfer across the country.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act on UK citizens who received their medical training abroad.

Under the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026, British citizens who have graduated from medical schools outside of the United Kingdom will not be prioritised for foundation training places, and graduates from a medical school in the UK will not be prioritised if they spent the majority of their time studying outside the British Islands.For specialty training places starting in 2026, we are using immigration statuses as a practical proxy to capture applicants who are most likely to have significant experience working in the health service in the UK. The effect of this is that British citizens will be prioritised.From 2027, immigration status will no longer automatically determine priority for specialty training. Instead, we will be able to make regulations to specify any additional groups who will be prioritised by reference to criteria indicating significant experience as a doctor in the health service, or by reference to immigration status.Non-prioritised graduates can still apply for postgraduate medical training and will be offered places if vacancies remain after prioritised applicants have received offers.

Whether members of the Armed Forces who a) are absent without leave and b) have deserted remain eligible to receive pay, pensionable benefits, allowances, or other benefits during the period of their absence.

Armed Forces Personnel who are Absent Without Leave or who have Deserted are not eligible to receive pay, pensionable benefits, allowances, or other financial benefits during the period of their absence.

What is the turnover rate for each of the last 5 years in a) the whole Royal Navy and b) the Catering Services branch of the Royal Navy.

The Ministry of Defence regularly publishes outflow and voluntary outflow statistics at Service level, with the latest statistics available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2026 However, granular data, including on the turnover rate for the Royal Navy Catering Services Specialisation, is not available in the format requested. As part of wider efforts to support retention and workforce sustainability, the Royal Navy has implemented the Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body recommendation for targeted retention payments for the Royal Navy Catering Services, applications have been accepted since July 2025.

What recent steps he has taken to improve NHS capacity in Accident and Emergency departments in (a) Slough and (b) Berkshire.

Decisions on the commissioning and configuration of local National Health Services, including accident and emergency (A&E) departments and urgent treatment centres, are the responsibility of integrated care boards, working with their local NHS trusts. These organisations are best placed to determine how services should operate to meet the needs of their local populations.Within Slough and Berkshire, a range of steps have been taken over the past year to improve A&E capacity and patient flow. These include expansion of Same Day Emergency Care, improved discharge and community capacity, enhanced access to urgent care alternatives such as urgent treatment centres, and focused work on patient flow and ambulance handovers.

How many instances of delayed hearings and trials were caused by the court having failed to book an interpreter in each of the last three years.

An ineffective trial is defined as a trial that does not proceed on the scheduled trial date and therefore requires a further listing. This may arise due to action or inaction by the prosecution, the defence, the court, or a combination of these factors.The Ministry of Justice does not hold data on the number of delayed hearings or trials specifically attributable to the court failing to book an interpreter. While published data includes ineffective trials recorded under the reason “no interpreter available”, this category covers a range of circumstances. These include situations where the supplier was unable to fulfil a booking, or where a booked interpreter cancelled at short notice and there was insufficient time to secure a replacement, as well as the court having failed to book an interpreter. The data cannot be disaggregated further to distinguish between a failure to make a booking and other interpreter related issues that may have caused the delay.

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the defence posture of the Falkland Islands in the context of statements by (a) the President of Argentina on 2 April 2026 and (b) the US President in March 2026 on military support to allies.

The UK is steadfast in its support for the Falkland Islanders’ right of self-determination. As the Strategic Defence Review set out, a core role for Defence is the protection of the UK’s Overseas Territories, which includes maintaining a defensive military posture in the Falkland Islands. We review that posture regularly to ensure it is appropriately scaled to ensure the security of the Islands.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2026 to Question 122333 on Armed Forces: Workplace Pensions, by which date does he plan to conclude the work with the scheme administrator to finalise the timeline for issuing all RSSs.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to issuing all members with their RSS as quickly as possible and is working with the scheme administrator to finalise the timeline for issuing all RSSs. Once a timeline has been finalised, this will be communicated with members.The Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) continues to provide quarterly updates of progress and volumes of Remedy cases completed to date on gov.uk and in the Quarterly Digest.The next quarterly update will be published on gov.uk at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pensions-and-compensation-for-veterans#remediable-service-statement-delivery-update

What is the a) target timeframe and b) current timeframe for the Armed Forces Pension Scheme to implement divorce pension-sharing orders.

The statutory period to implement a standard Pension Sharing Order (PSO) is four months. However, the McCloud Remedy has made pension sharing in divorce cases more complex, as the correct valuation depends on a member’s final Remedy choice for service between 2015 and 2022.While guidance exists for standard PSOs, some older, complex cases require careful handling to ensure legal compliance and avoid errors. As a result, these cases take longer to resolve than standard ones. It is not possible to provide a definitive timeline for complex PSOs, as each case is different.To ensure fairness, all cases are handled in the order they are received, with prioritisation applied only when legally required. Each case is carefully managed and reviewed to prevent errors and ensure decisions withstand external scrutiny. The Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) continues to provide quarterly updates of progress and volumes of Remedy cases completed to date on gov.uk and in the Quarterly Digest. The next quarterly update will be published on gov.uk at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pensions-and-compensation-for-veterans#remediable-service-statement-delivery-update

When the list of Ministry of Defence acronyms and abbreviations was last reviewed, and when the next update is expected to be published.

The Ministry of Defence's (MOD) terminology database, known as 'Reference Data Manager' (RDM) is maintained by a dedicated team which continuously reviews and updates entries based on both direct and indirect engagement across MOD.

How many days of maintenance on Royal Navy vessels were lost due to nearby nesting birds in the last 12 months.

No days of maintenance on Royal Navy vessels were lost due to nearby nesting birds in the last 12 months.

What was the size of the armed forces was on (a) 24 February 2022 and (b) 6 April 2026.

As of 1 October 2025, Armed Forces intake was greater than outflow. This is the first time in four years, and this welcome trend continues in the latest data. As of 1 January 2026, compared to 12 months ago, the overall strength of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force had increased by over 1%, and the Army’s had increased by 0.2%. For all three Services, intake is increasing and outflow is reducing. Figures relating to Armed Forces strengths are published in the Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics, the most recent edition of which can be found at the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2026. The closest published editions to the dates requested are 1 April 2022 and 1 January 2026; the size of the Armed Forces on those dates were, respectively, 196,244 and 182,052.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 82712 on Firearms Licensing, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of not implementing the recommendation of the Law Commission on codifying existing firearms legislation.

The Government has no plans to take forward the recommendation made by the Law Commission in 2015 to codify existing firearms legislation.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential risk of interference by the US in UK elections.

The UK Government takes attempts by any country to intervene in democratic processes very seriously. It is, and always will be, an absolute priority to protect our democratic and electoral processes. The Government has renewed the mandate of the Defending Democracy Taskforce (DDTF), which brings together Government Ministers, representatives from law enforcement and the intelligence community, to coordinate work to protect our democratic institutions and processes from threats, including foreign interference.In April 2023, DDTF created the Joint Election Security and Preparedness (JESP) Unit, which sits jointly between Cabinet Office and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, as a permanent function dedicated to protecting UK elections and referendums and coordinating work across government to respond to issues of protective security, cyber threats and mis and disinformation, including foreign interference.In December 2025, the Secretary of State commissioned former permanent secretary Philip Rycroft to lead an independent review into foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics. The review was published on 25 March 2026 and can be found here.

What steps his Department has taken to mitigate the the risk of disruption to global oil trade routes in the last three years.

As a member of the International Energy Agency (IEA), the UK holds emergency oil stocks of 90 days of net imports. The UK’s participation in the co-ordinated IEA release of 400 million barrels of oil stocks in response to the Middle-east conflict is a sensible and measured step to support global oil market stability. The Secretary of State is in regular and close contact with key international partners, to ensure a coordinated international response and functioning markets The Government is driving further and faster for clean homegrown power that we control to protect the British people and bring down bills for good.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of the progress of remediation works on properties approved for the Cladding Safety Scheme in Slough.

Buildings in the CSS in Slough are making progress on their remediation, and in cases outside of the timeframe expected by CSS, action has been taken to bring progress back on track.

What steps she is taking to ensure all police forces are operating in compliance with the Statutory Guidance on firearms licensing for Chief Officers of Police.

Firearms licensing is an operational matter for chief officers of police, who are required to have regard to the Statutory Guidance to Chief Officers of Police on firearms licensing in exercising their licensing responsibilities. The Home Office works closely with the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for firearms licensing to support consistent application of the law and accompanying Statutory Guidance across forces.In addition, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services are now undertaking a thematic inspection of police forces’ arrangements in respect of firearms licensing, providing independent scrutiny and identifying areas for improvement.

What information he holds on the potential consequences of reforming the electricity market to decouple the price of electricity from the price of gas through changes to the current marginal pricing system.

The Government has assessed the possible impacts of electricity market reform via the Review of Electricity Market Arrangements. Last year, it was confirmed that Great Britain will continue with a single, national wholesale electricity market using marginal pricing. Rather than fundamentally separating electricity prices from gas, the Reformed National Pricing Delivery Plan prioritises targeted reforms to reduce consumer costs while maintaining a secure, affordable and efficient electricity system. Key measures include better siting and investment signals, reduced network constraint costs, and more effective balancing. The Delivery Plan includes an assessment framework and will be underpinned by analysis and evidence.