Written questions by Stone.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) digitising and (b) introducing an online portal for the Child Maintenance Service.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) offers a range of digital services designed to support separated families. These include 'Child Maintenance Calculator’, ‘Get Help Arranging Child Maintenance’ and ‘My Child Maintenance Case’(MCMC). Through these services, parents can explore their options, calculate potential payments and submit an online application to the CMS to receive or pay child maintenance. For customers with existing cases, the online services allow them to report changes, check progress, view correspondence and make payments online 24/7.Digital services were developed and will continue to evolve based on research and feedback from charities supporting separated families, victims of domestic abuse, and users with assisted digital needs.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2023 to Question HL288 on Army: Recruitment, what were the conclusions of the evaluation of bespoke terms of service for under-18s.

The Soldier terms of service will continue to apply to all personnel, including for those under-18. The Army takes its duty of care for all personnel, particularly those under 18, extremely seriously, ensuring they are treated with special consideration. We keep terms of service under continuous review to ensure best practice and to deliver operational effectiveness. The Army ensures under-18s are supported and safeguarded through additional measures, including:Discharge as of Right (DAOR): Recruits under 18 can leave the Army at any time up to their 18th birthday by giving 14 days' written notice to their Commanding Officer (CO). Additionally, those under 18 at attestation can DAOR within six months of joining, following 28 days of service.Operations: No personnel under 18 are deployed on operations, in line with the UK’s obligations under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.Recruitment: The Army complies with all legal and policy requirements, conducting school visits only when invited as part of outreach programmes. Career advice is provided to pupils in Year 9 and above.Trades: Under-18 recruits are not channelled into Infantry or frontline combat roles. Role allocation considers personal preference, age, trainability, academic record, and physical ability.Education and Qualifications: The Army provides a first-class education programme, enabling young people to gain qualifications, life skills, self-confidence, and stability.Safeguarding: The Army determines which roles require disclosure checks when they involve working with under-18 Service Personnel and ensures that personnel filling these roles are appropriately vetted.

How many complaints have been made by (a) junior soldiers and (b) their parents or guardians about unacceptable sexual behaviour at the Army Foundation College between 1 January 2018 and 30 November 2024.

The information is not held in the format requested.However, 159 sexual misconduct allegations were recorded on the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) system against personnel serving at Army Foundation College (Harrogate) (AFC(H)) between 1 January 2018 and 30 November 2024. 108 of these allegations predated the Unacceptable Sexual Behaviour (USB) policy which came into effect on 19 November 2022. It is important to note that these figures include all Army personnel located at AFC(H), regardless of whether they are staff or Junior Soldiers.AFC(H) reports every instance of unacceptable sexual behaviour under its Zero Tolerance Policy and actively encourages recruits to report concerns from day one. Serious incidents are reported to the civilian police. On arrival at AFC(H) the recruits receive day-one training in Army Values and Standards emphasizing Zero Tolerance and mandatory discharge for certain transgressions. Ofsted inspections in 2021 and 2024 praised how recruits confidently report unacceptable behaviours by peers and staff, knowing complaints will be handled seriously and swiftly. Ofsted noted that emotional and psychological safety, inclusion, and teamwork are firmly embedded in College life.In March 2024, after interviewing 61.5% of female Junior Soldiers, Ofsted found that "female recruits rarely experience instances of sexual harassment or bullying. If they do, they know how to report it and know that staff will deal with it swiftly."

If he will bring forward legislative proposals to (a) reduce decibel levels in fireworks, (b) restrict sales of fireworks to licensed shops and (c) create firework-free zones.

There are currently no plans to bring forward legislation in relation to fireworks. However, the Government is continuing to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on the issues with and impacts of fireworks to inform any future action.The Government has also launched a public campaign on fireworks safety for this year’s fireworks season. The campaign includes new guidance for those running community fireworks events, and new social media posts that emphasise the risks from the misuse of fireworks.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the number of training placements of educational psychologists to meet the expected demand for education, health and care plans by each local authority.

Educational psychologists play a critical role in the support available to children and young people, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. That is why we are investing over £21 million to train 400 more educational psychologists over two cohorts, starting their studies in 2024 and 2025. This is in addition to the £10 million invested in the training of over 200 educational psychologists who began their training in 2023.As these trainees complete their studies, they will join the workforce to support local authority educational psychology services, including contributing to statutory assessments.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of basing the energy cap for renewable energy.

The Government has made no such assessment. The criteria around the setting of the energy price cap is a matter for Ofgem. On Wednesday 27 August, Ofgem confirmed the Q4 price cap will be set at £1,755 per year for a typical dual fuel household paying by Direct Debit – an increase of £35 from the current price cap (£1,720). This would cost households an extra £2.93 a month for three months. We know that any price rise is a concern for families. Wholesale gas costs in the price cap are 77% above their levels in the year up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. That is the fossil fuel penalty being paid by families, businesses and our economy. That is why the only answer for Britain is this Government’s mission to get us off the rollercoaster of fossil fuel prices and onto clean, homegrown power we control, to bring down bills for good.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to strengthen diplomatic relations with Morocco.

On 1 June, the Foreign Secretary co-hosted the UK-Morocco Strategic Dialogue in Rabat, where he signed agreements on education, healthcare, infrastructure and trade. This signalled a step change in the relationship. The Foreign Secretary also endorsed Morocco’s autonomy proposal for Western Sahara and committed UK support to the parties and UN to reach a mutually acceptable resolution. We are taking this work forward together and remain in frequent contact.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Ofwat on the performance of Thames Water.

The Secretary of State meets with stakeholders regularly such as Ofwat to discuss a range of issues. The Government will continue to work with water sector regulators to hold water companies to account on poor performance and drive improvements which benefit customers and the environment. As part of our Plan for Change, we’ve delivered on our promise to put water companies under special measures through the introduction of The Water (Special Measures) Act which will drive meaningful improvements in the performance and culture of the water industry.

If he will review NHS grading bands for phlebotomists.

Phlebotomists are paid on the Agenda for Change pay scale which is underpinned by a job evaluation scheme. The scheme determines the appropriate pay band given the role requirements. Employers are responsible for correctly matching job roles to bands in line with the job evaluation scheme to ensure staff are paid correctly for the work they are asked to deliver.

What steps she is taking to increase political education in the curriculum in the context of lowering the voting age to 16.

Democracy is currently taught through the national curriculum for citizenship at key stages 3 and 4, which covers parliamentary democracy, the key elements of the constitution of the United Kingdom, the power of government and how citizens and Parliament hold it to account, including through the voting system.Support for curriculum delivery is available through optional, free and adaptable resources from Oak National Academy (Oak). The resource package will be ready by this autumn; the resources will be here: https://www.thenational.academy/.The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review which seeks to deliver a rich, broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that equips young people with the knowledge, skills and attributes needed to thrive in life and work.

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help protect (a) disabled and (b) vulnerable people from people who seek to take over their homes for illegal activities.

The Government recognises the appalling harm caused by criminals who take over vulnerable people’s homes for illegal activities. This is why we are introducing a new offence of ‘cuckooing’ in the Crime and Policing Bill to target criminals who exploit vulnerable people to take over their homes for criminal purposes. The new offence will be supported by statutory guidance for police, as well as non-statutory guidance for other agencies, to provide information on how to identify, protect and support vulnerable people at risk of cuckooing.It is a matter of deep regret that His Majesty’s Official Opposition chose to vote against these measures at the Third Reading of the Crime and Policing Bill on 18 June.

What recent estimate her Department has made of the proportion of disability benefit claimants who are on a waiting list for NHS treatment.

There were 7.4 million NHS Referral to Treatment (RTT) pathways where the patient was waiting to start treatment at the end of April 2025 (this includes all ages).The number of people (aged 16 to 64) not in work who left their job in the previous year for health reasons was 210,000 in 2023/24.One in every 10 working-age people in Britain is now claiming at least one type of health or disability benefit and as outlined in the Pathways to Work Green paper, when this government took office last July:o 2.8 million people were economically inactive due to long-term sicknesso the number claiming health related benefits with no requirement to work has increased by 800,000 since 2019/2020.The Work Aspirations of Health and Disability Claimants survey found that a third (32%) of those claiming health and disability benefits believe they can work now or in future. 5% say that they would be ready now if the right job or support were available. This equates to around 200,000 individuals. DWP and DHSC work closely, for example through the Joint Work and Health Directorate, to deliver better work outcomes and work experiences for disabled people and people with health conditions. This includes working across the whole of the customer journey to help disabled people and people with long term health conditions who want to work to be in the best position possible to do so. The Joint Work and Health Directorate is collaborating with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to improve the evidence on the relationship between health and labour market outcomes. The ONS plans to link NHS waiting times data (that they recently acquired access to) to Census, DWP Benefits and HMRC PAYE records to analyse the relationship between waiting time duration (for various health conditions and procedures) and labour market outcomes (such as employment status, gross pay and benefit receipt) in England. This may shed light on the role of extended waiting times witnessed during and after the COVID-19 pandemic on benefit receipt, including sickness related benefit receipt. Due to many dependencies and unknowns, ONS is not able to confirm when the analysis will be available.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of adjusting the cycle of procurement for SMEs so that Government contracts are issued throughout the year.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) contracts are issued throughout the year and not just at a specific time of the year. The Acquisition pipeline for the MOD was being published twice per year and indicated the anticipated date for publication of the tenders across the next 18+ months. The Department currently publishes an 18 month forward look of our procurement pipeline but will move to continuous updates for the benefit of suppliers (including SMEs) registered on the Central Digital Platform. Consideration of SMEs is a key element in the UK's Modern Industrial Strategy and, as part of the Defence Industrial Strategy, we will reform the MOD procurement and acquisition processes to ensure we deliver the capabilities defence requires now and in the future.

If he will make it his policy that patients receive written information before hysteroscopy and biopsy procedures.

We are committed to improving women’s experiences of gynaecological procedures, such as hysteroscopies.Women should be provided with information prior to their procedure so that they can make an informed decisions about the procedure and pain relief options, including the option of local or general anaesthetic.

What steps his Department is taking to support UK businesses seeking to (a) enter and (b) expand in the Moroccan market in (i) green energy, (ii) agritech and (iii) other high growth sectors.

The Department for Business and Trade is committed to helping UK businesses export to Morocco. Supported by the UK-Morocco Association Agreement bilateral trade has been rising and reached £4.2 billion in 2024.During the Foreign Secretary’s visit to Rabat on 1st June, he co-chaired the 5th session of the UK-Morocco Strategic Dialogue with the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs. They signed a series of Memoranda of Understanding to deepen collaboration in priority sectors, including healthcare, water, transport, defence and procurement. These will enable commercial engagement, supporting UK firms expanding in Morocco’s high-growth sectors, such as digital health, infrastructure, and ports.

If she will include retail delivery drivers within the standalone offence for assaulting a retail worker.

This Government is committed to tackling retail crime. Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores.Assaults against delivery drivers are already an offence (common assault) under the Criminal Justice Act 1988, and are covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, including actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm.Section 156 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 creates a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing cases of assault against public facing workers. It applies where an assault is committed against those providing a public service, performing a public duty or providing a service to the public. This includes those delivering goods to customers and other public-facing roles.

What steps she is taking to ensure the safety of retail delivery drivers when they are carrying out government-mandated enforcement checks with customers.

This Government is committed to tackling retail crime. Through our Crime and Policing Bill, we have introduced a standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores.Assaults against delivery drivers are already an offence (common assault) under the Criminal Justice Act 1988, and are covered under other legislation such as the Offences against the Person Act 1861, which also covers more serious violence, including actual bodily harm and grievous bodily harm.Section 156 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 creates a statutory aggravating factor in sentencing cases of assault against public facing workers. It applies where an assault is committed against those providing a public service, performing a public duty or providing a service to the public. This includes those delivering goods to customers and other public-facing roles.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of issuing fines to drivers who do not hold (a) a valid driving license and (b) vehicle insurance on revenues to the Exchequer.

Revenue generated from fines for motoring offences is retained by Departments or directed into the Consolidated Fund. The consolidated fund is administered by HM Treasury and is used to support general expenditure on public services such as policing, healthcare, local government grants and transport. Government departments that receive income for onward surrender to the Consolidated Fund are responsible for the detailed record keeping related to it. They are not required to provide HM Treasury with this detail.

If he will take steps with NHS England to publish guidance on (a) safe and (b) effective pain relief for outpatient hysteroscopy procedures.

The Government recognises that some procedures, such as a hysteroscopy, can result in pain, and the level of pain experienced will vary between individual women. It is important that healthcare professionals provide women with information prior to their procedure so that women can make an informed decisions about the procedure and pain relief options, including the option of local or general anaesthetic.Clinical guidelines support healthcare professionals to provide evidence-based care. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists published an updated guideline on outpatient hysteroscopy in September 2024. The updated guideline has particular reference to minimising pain and discomfort during hysteroscopy procedures. While the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ guidelines are not mandatory, they are designed to support high-quality care, and the Department and the National Health Service encourage local implementation tailored to patient needs. This guidance is available at the following link:https://www.rcog.org.uk/guidance/browse-all-guidance/green-top-guidelines/outpatient-hysteroscopy-green-top-guideline-no-59/The NHS website also provides information for patients. The page on hysteroscopy provides information on preparing for and recovering from a hysteroscopy, including pain relief options.

Whether his Department is taking steps to help develop female-specific body armour.

Defence is an active participant in NATO work to explore options to further optimise body armour for our Service personnel, including for females. The current Tactical Ballistic Plate (TBP) project will deliver hard armour plates in a range of different sizes, thus ensuring greater comfort and integration for all users across Defence. Multiple Human Factors Integration (HFI) trials have been completed with female representation.