Written questions by Morello.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the feasibility of transitioning water companies to (a) public benefit and (b) community interest company models.

The Independent Water Commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, will recommend reforms to reset the water sector regulatory system and is expected to form the largest review of the industry since privatisation. It is considering a wide range of areas, including different water company ownership models, as set out in the Commission’s Call for Evidence. The Commission is expected to publish its recommendations later in the summer. The Commission is also looking at the broader strategic planning framework in England and Wales to support more integrated planning and coordination between different sectors. On regional governance, the Commission is considering options for an authority working at a national, regional or catchment level to support better and more coordinated planning on water.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of re-establishing regional water authorities on (a) service delivery and (b) accountability.

The Independent Water Commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, will recommend reforms to reset the water sector regulatory system and is expected to form the largest review of the industry since privatisation. It is considering a wide range of areas, including different water company ownership models, as set out in the Commission’s Call for Evidence. The Commission is expected to publish its recommendations later in the summer. The Commission is also looking at the broader strategic planning framework in England and Wales to support more integrated planning and coordination between different sectors. On regional governance, the Commission is considering options for an authority working at a national, regional or catchment level to support better and more coordinated planning on water.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with relevant stakeholders on the viability of municipal ownership models for water services.

The Independent Water Commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, will recommend reforms to reset the water sector regulatory system and is expected to form the largest review of the industry since privatisation. It is considering a wide range of areas, including different water company ownership models, as set out in the Commission’s Call for Evidence. The Commission is expected to publish its recommendations later in the summer. The Commission is also looking at the broader strategic planning framework in England and Wales to support more integrated planning and coordination between different sectors. On regional governance, the Commission is considering options for an authority working at a national, regional or catchment level to support better and more coordinated planning on water.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of state ownership of water infrastructure assets in the South West.

The Independent Water Commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, will recommend reforms to reset the water sector regulatory system and is expected to form the largest review of the industry since privatisation. It is considering a wide range of areas, including different water company ownership models, as set out in the Commission’s Call for Evidence. The Commission is expected to publish its recommendations later in the summer. The Commission is also looking at the broader strategic planning framework in England and Wales to support more integrated planning and coordination between different sectors. On regional governance, the Commission is considering options for an authority working at a national, regional or catchment level to support better and more coordinated planning on water.

What assessment he has made of the potential contribution of overseas recruitment in helping to tackle NHS dental workforce shortages.

National Health Service dentistry has always valued the vital contribution made by internationally trained staff in delivering high quality dental care. At the same time, we are committed to growing homegrown talent and giving opportunities to more people across the country to join the NHS. The Government plans to expand access to NHS dental care by recruiting new dentists to the areas that need them, and with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments.We have launched a 10-Year Health Plan as part of the Government’s five long-term missions, a central part of which will be our workforce. We will publish a refreshed workforce plan to ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it.We have welcomed the additional sittings of both parts of the Overseas Registration Exam that the General Dental Council (GDC) has put in place. The GDC is working to put new ORE provider contracts in place in 2025 which will increase the flexibility and availability of the exam, further expanding capacity.To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has considered the potential (a) advantages and (b) disadvantages of returning water companies to public ownership.

The Independent Water Commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, will recommend reforms to reset the water sector regulatory system and is expected to form the largest review of the industry since privatisation. It is considering a wide range of areas, including different water company ownership models, as set out in the Commission’s Call for Evidence. The Commission is expected to publish its recommendations later in the summer. The Commission is also looking at the broader strategic planning framework in England and Wales to support more integrated planning and coordination between different sectors. On regional governance, the Commission is considering options for an authority working at a national, regional or catchment level to support better and more coordinated planning on water.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of dental school capacity on long-term access to NHS dentistry.

We are determined to rebuild National Health Service dentistry, but it will take time and there are no quick fixes. Strengthening the workforce is key to our ambitions.To achieve these aims, we will work with partners such as the General Dental Council to explore the creation of new dental schools as necessary in currently under-served parts of the country, as well as with the Office for Students, which has statutory responsibility for allocating Government funded dental school places.We have also launched a 10-Year Health Plan as part of Government’s five long-term missions, a central part of which will be our workforce. We will publish a refreshed workforce plan to ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it.To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the UK’s involvement in the Security Action For Europe initiative.

Strengthening our security and defence partnership with the EU will deliver on our Plan for Change and turbo charge the UK’s defence industries to help safeguard the security of the European continent. Since we first came to office, the Government has been committed to strengthening its relationship with the EU. The Foreign Secretary regularly discusses European security issues with his Cabinet colleagues. We welcome efforts to enhance the EU’s defence production and look forward to the UK/EU Summit next week.

What funding is available to police forces for the purchase of inflatable rescue mats used to prevent injuries from high-level jumps.

The Home Office does not hold the requested information.Decisions around procuring this type of equipment is a matter for operationally independent Chief Constables, Police and Crime Commissioners or their Mayoral equivalents, to be taken in line with the needs of their local force.

If she will take steps to introduce dental buses to treat (a) low-income, (b) elderly and (c) disabled patients in West Dorset constituency.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most.The decision about whether to commission dental vans should be made locally by integrated care boards (ICBs). ICBs know the needs of their local areas and are best placed to make decisions about whether or how mobile dental vans can contribute to meeting the dental care needs of their population. For the West Dorset constituency, this is the NHS Dorset ICB.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help protect access to green lanes for people with mobility difficulties.

This Government recognises the importance of access to nature for health and wellbeing and is committed to ensuring it is safe, inclusive, and appropriate including for people with reduced mobility. We are delivering on our ambitious manifesto commitment to create nine new national river walks and three new national forests in England. Further details will be shared later this year, following the Spending Review and the publication of the revised Environmental Improvement Plan. Additionally, we are implementing key initiatives to increase access to green spaces, including the £33 million ‘Access for All’ programme, which aims to make protected landscapes, national trails, forests, and the wider countryside more inclusive and accessible. Local authorities are responsible for maintaining rights of way in the area they are responsible for. They are required to publish and maintain a Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP) which must explain how improvements made by the local authority to the public rights of way network including restricted byways and byways open to all traffic will provide a better experience for all users including those with reduced mobility. There have been no recent discussions with the Green Lane Association.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of crash mat availability in (a) Dorset and (b) other rural fire services.

It is the responsibility of fire and rescue authorities to ensure that firefighters receive the equipment and training they need to safely respond to incidents, and to do so in light of their individual areas’ risk profiles and Community Risk Management Plans. We work closely with the National Fire Chiefs Council to ensure that the fire and rescue sector has sufficient resource to keep the public safe. The government does not hold any data or publish any statistics on equipment used at incidents.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has considered temporarily restricting imports of queen bees from regions with a high risk of parasitic infestation.

Protecting our country from pests and diseases is a key priority and that is why we have stringent monitoring processes in place to detect pests and diseases. Imports of honey bees are only accepted from approved countries and are subject to rules relating to notification and health certification. Imports of honey bee queens must be inspected and certified as free from certain pests and diseases before they can be exported to the UK and they can only come from pest free areas. A risk-based approach applies to checks on imports, including some laboratory testing of packaging and accompanying worker bees, for evidence of bee pests and diseases. As well as the import controls, there is an extensive surveillance programme in place for invasive pests and the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s National Bee Unit provide training and guidance on pest recognition to all UK beekeepers.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of local authority enforcement powers to prevent fly tipping.

Local authorities have a range of enforcement powers to tackle fly-tipping. These include 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 these powers, and we are taking steps to develop statutory fly-tipping enforcement guidance to support councils to consistently and effectively exercise their powers. We have also announced a review of their powers to seize and crush vehicles of suspected fly-tippers to identify how we could help councils make better use of this tool. Research commissioned by Defra in 2023 into the effectiveness of enforcement against littering, fly-tipping and dog fouling is available at: https://sciencesearch.defra.gov.uk/ProjectDetails?ProjectId=21398. The report was unable to identify any firm conclusions about the effectiveness of enforcement due to data limitations. A more recent assessment of the effectiveness of local authority enforcement powers to prevent fly tipping has not been made. We have 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.

What steps his Department is taking to support local commissioning bodies during dental contract reforms.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local populations and to determine the priorities for investment.NHS planning guidance for 2025/26 confirms that dental budgets are ringfenced, and that improving access to urgent dental appointments is a key national priority. Careful consideration needs to be given to any potential changes to the complex dental system so that we deliver genuine improvements for patients and the profession, and so that ICBs are supported to commission services in line with system changes. NHS England supports ICBs with their local commissioning responsibilities for primary dental services with the provision of nationally agreed policies and procedures. NHS England has also published guidance to support commissioners to take advantage of the opportunities offered to commission further and additional services through flexible commissioning, which enables the responsible commissioner to tailor services to meet local population oral health needs. Further information can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/opportunities-for-flexible-commissioning-in-primary-care-dentistry-a-framework-for-commissioners/We are continuing to meet representatives of the dental sector to discuss how we can best deliver our shared ambition to improve access for NHS dental patients

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Green Lane Association on sustainable countryside access.

This Government recognises the importance of access to nature for health and wellbeing and is committed to ensuring it is safe, inclusive, and appropriate including for people with reduced mobility. We are delivering on our ambitious manifesto commitment to create nine new national river walks and three new national forests in England. Further details will be shared later this year, following the Spending Review and the publication of the revised Environmental Improvement Plan. Additionally, we are implementing key initiatives to increase access to green spaces, including the £33 million ‘Access for All’ programme, which aims to make protected landscapes, national trails, forests, and the wider countryside more inclusive and accessible. Local authorities are responsible for maintaining rights of way in the area they are responsible for. They are required to publish and maintain a Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP) which must explain how improvements made by the local authority to the public rights of way network including restricted byways and byways open to all traffic will provide a better experience for all users including those with reduced mobility. There have been no recent discussions with the Green Lane Association.

Whether her Department has received applications for (a) the Safer Streets Fund and (b) other funding streams for fall-prevention equipment from the Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave him on 13 May to Question 50409.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of responsible green lane use on the health and well-being of people.

This Government recognises the importance of access to nature for health and wellbeing and is committed to ensuring it is safe, inclusive, and appropriate including for people with reduced mobility. We are delivering on our ambitious manifesto commitment to create nine new national river walks and three new national forests in England. Further details will be shared later this year, following the Spending Review and the publication of the revised Environmental Improvement Plan. Additionally, we are implementing key initiatives to increase access to green spaces, including the £33 million ‘Access for All’ programme, which aims to make protected landscapes, national trails, forests, and the wider countryside more inclusive and accessible. Local authorities are responsible for maintaining rights of way in the area they are responsible for. They are required to publish and maintain a Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP) which must explain how improvements made by the local authority to the public rights of way network including restricted byways and byways open to all traffic will provide a better experience for all users including those with reduced mobility. There have been no recent discussions with the Green Lane Association.

Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of fire departments have inflatable crash mats.

MHCLG collects data through the Fire and Rescue Service Incident Recording System (IRS) on equipment used by Fire & Rescue Services at the scene of an incident. It does not include data for the specific equipment category of inflatable crash mat.This data is published in a variety of publications, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fire-statistics and data tables here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fire-statistics-data-tables; though no statistics are published on the equipment used at incidents.

How many and what proportion of police forces have inflatable crash mats.

The Home Office does not hold the requested information.Decisions around procuring this type of equipment is a matter for operationally independent Chief Constables, Police and Crime Commissioners or their Mayoral equivalents, to be taken in line with the needs of their local force.