Written questions by Maguire.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of pollution incidents did the Environment Agency attend in each of the last three years.

The Environment Agency (EA) responds to approximately 15,000 environmental incidents every year. Environmental incidents include environment management (pollution), waterways, fisheries, and water resources incidents. For each reported incident they assess the risk and likely impact and then respond accordingly. Not all incidents reported result in site attendance, a response can be provision of advice and guidance remotely. The EA seeks to attend all serious pollution incidents (Category 1 and 2) which pose a significant risk to people or wildlife, and those incidents which could escalate to cause more serious impacts. For example, in 2024, The EA attended 53 of 74 (72%) category 1 and 2 water industry incidents.

What steps his Department is taking to increase the number of prosecutions for domestic abuse related offences.

Domestic Abuse (DA) causes severe and lasting harm to victims. Bringing perpetrators of these crimes to justice is a top priority for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).In partnership with the National Police Chiefs Council, the CPS launched the Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan (DA JJP) in November 2024 to improve their collective response to the investigation and prosecution of DA cases.The DA JJP sets out how the police and CPS will strengthen joint working – from building stronger cases from the outset to improving victim safeguarding to deliver more timely justice for victims. This coordinated approach is key to breaking cycles of abuse, securing prosecutions, and ensuring that victims are heard, protected, and supported throughout the justice process. The focused work within the DA JJP has already had a positive impact on most CPS performance metrics. For example, referral volumes from police to CPS have increased by 14% since the DA JJP was launched. Charging pilots have also been launched to improve timeliness, with national rollout set for the end of 2025. The forthcoming CPS VAWG Strategy, due for publication later this year, recognises the link between DA and VAWG related offending. Through the strategy, the CPS will further strengthen its response to DA through updated prosecution guidance, enhanced training modules and an improved services to victims of DA.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support her Department is giving to Ukraine to help tackle Russia's increasing use of drones.

The UK has invested £600 million this year to accelerate drone delivery to Ukraine. At the Ukraine Defence Contact Group on 15 October, the Defence Secretary announced that the UK had delivered over 85,000 drones to Ukraine in the past six months. These drones are being used for precision strikes, reconnaissance and disrupting Russian activity behind the frontlines, countering Russia's own attempts at massed drone tactics. A £42 million energy support package announced on 12 September by the Foreign Secretary will deliver further physical protection support, as well as funding repairs to damaged energy infrastructure hit by drones and other Russian attacks.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her US counterpart on increasing US arms support to Ukraine.

The UK fully supports President Trump's efforts to end this war and we are in regular contact with the US, Ukraine and our other partners to secure a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. The Foreign Secretary most recently discussed our efforts in Ukraine with Secretary Rubio on 7 October, and before that on 18 September during President Trump's State Visit.

How many GPs in Epsom and Ewell constituency are not employed on the General Medical Services British Medical Association model contract.

The Department does not centrally hold data on the employment contracts of individual salaried general practitioners (GPs), as GP practices are self-employed contractors to the National Health Service.

With reference to the Independent Monitoring Authority for the Citizens Rights Survey 2025, published on 1 October 2025, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle discrimination in (a) work and (b) public services against EU citizens living in the UK.

The UK takes seriously its obligations under the Withdrawal Agreement, including those set out in Article 23 on equal treatment of EU citizens and in Article 24 on the rights of workers. EU nationals with a status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) are entitled to work in the UK and can access public services subject to relevant criteria depending on the service.The Equality Act 2010 (the Act) provides legal protection for the protected characteristic of race, which includes colour, nationality, and ethnic or national origins to everyone in the UK, including EU citizens. This means the Act provides protection against unlawful racial or ethnic discrimination in employment and in other areas covered by the Act such as services, transport, education and housing.

What steps her Department is taking to deliver accessible electric vehicle charge points across (a) motorways and (b) major ‘A’ road networks with provision that meets (i) current and (ii) projected future demand.

A reliable, accessible public charging network to support EV drivers on long journeys is essential. On accessibility, the Government will continue to work with industry and other parties to ensure effective implementation of the Publicly Available Standard (PAS) 1899:2022 for chargepoint accessibility. We will work with stakeholders to support the revision of these standards and continue to monitor progress on chargepoint accessibility to assess whether further intervention is needed.Chargepoint provision on motorways and major A-roads has grown strongly, with now over 6,000 open-access chargepoints within one mile of the Strategic Road Network, more than quadrupling in the last three years (July 2022 – July 2025, Zapmap). The recent Spending Review announced £400 million for charging infrastructure, including to support charging on the Strategic Road Network.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that accessible electric vehicle charging standards fully meet disabled users’ needs.

The Government is committed to ensuring that public charging infrastructure is accessible for all. Earlier this year, the Government and Motability Foundation co-sponsored a review of the Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 1899:2022 standards for chargepoint accessibility to ensure they fully meet disabled users’ needs. We will continue to monitor the adoption of the standards and their impact on accessibility to assess the need for further measures.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to improve the regulation of water companies.

The Independent Water Commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, examined how to strengthen the regulation and delivery of water services to better support long-term water security, sustainable growth, and environmental protection. The Commission's final report was published on 21 July 2025, and the previous Secretary of State provided an Oral Statement to Parliament in response. As outlined in the statement, the Government is immediately taking forward a number of Sir Jon’s recommendations. This includes establishing a new, powerful and integrated regulator with water functions from Ofwat, the Environment Agency, Natural England and the Drinking Water Inspectorate. This is not the limit of our ambition. The Government will respond to Sir Jon’s recommendations in full via a White Paper, and a new water reform bill that we will introduce early this Parliament.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of embedding specialist dementia Admiral Nurses within neighbourhood health teams.

Neighbourhood Health Services will bring together teams of professionals, including nurses, doctors, social care workers, pharmacists, health visitors, and more, closer to people’s homes, to work together to provide comprehensive care in the community.We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations. While the focus on personalised, coordinated care will be consistent, this will mean services will look different in rural communities, coastal towns, and deprived inner cities.The provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). We would expect ICBs to commission services, which may include dementia specialist nurses or admiral nurses, based on local population needs, taking account of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidelines. NICE recommends providing people living with dementia with a single named health or social care professional who is responsible for coordinating their care. We are intending to publish a National Framework for Neighbourhood Health Plans in the autumn. This will set-out how areas should design neighbourhood health services around local needs and different patient cohorts.

How many 16 to 18 year olds girls have attended Army Foundation College Harrogate in each of the last five years.

The annual female attendee figures are provided in the table below; all figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Courses straddle multiple calendar years, meaning some recruits who joined in one year and remain in attendance the following year will be counted in both. YearFigure20202802021250202221020232702024200 Figures include trainees who join AFC (H) and leave within the same month, who would not otherwise appear on the monthly strengths.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the Environment Agency increases its attendance rate at pollution incidents.

Ministers meet regularly with the Environment Agency Chair and Chief Executive to discuss performance across the Environment Agency’s remit.

What steps his Department is taking to support armed forces personnel who have experienced intimate partner violence and abuse.

Defence will not tolerate domestic abuse in any form and will respond to any formal allegations and take necessary action against perpetrators. Addressing domestic abuse is a ministerial priority and a shared responsibility for defence leaders, and providing support and care to victims and survivors is a priority for me and those in Defence tasked with tackling this issue. Our efforts to combat domestic abuse include a robust, consistent and persistent response, informed staff, and the fostering of an open and understanding culture, where support is offered and seeking support is encouraged. We aim to create a culture where every person feels empowered to report instances that are perpetrated against or by Defence personnel, regardless of seniority or position. The Ministry of Defence Domestic Abuse Action Plan 2024-2029 was formally published in March 2024 and details key actions Defence is taking to tackle domestic abuse. These include how we will prevent, intervene, and partner to support those affected and ensure perpetrators are held accountable. For victims and survivors, we not only offer practical and emotional support from our own welfare organisations and the Victim Witness Care Unit, but we also partner with external specialists such as Aurora New Dawn and Mankind. Both of these organisations receive funding from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust and provide support to Armed Forces personnel and their families. Our efforts also include Raising Our Standards (ROS), which exists improve culture and tackle all unacceptable behaviours, which includes initiatives that are preventative in nature. Defence is committed to playing our part in this government’s commitment to halve Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) in a decade, and we are taking a public health approach to addressing VAWG. This means taking a preventative approach to tackle the drivers of offending, whilst expanding victim support and ensuring swift and certain enforcement after an incident takes place. Other work underway through ROS also includes a King’s Counsel Review of Defence Zero Tolerance policies, a tri-Service complaints unit removing complaints from the single Service chain of command for the first time and funding for a new military appraisal system.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential challenges of working with private finance companies to help deliver neighbourhood health centres.

The Government announced in the 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy on 19 June 2025, and in the 10-Year Health plan published on 3 July 2025, that it will explore the feasibility of using new Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to deliver certain types of primary and community health infrastructure, including Neighbourhood Health Centres.Any new model will be subject to market-testing, and will build on the lessons learned from past administrations’ experiences, the models currently in use elsewhere in the United Kingdom, and the March 2025 National Audit Office report titled Lessons Learned: private finance for infrastructure. The decision on whether to proceed with the use of PPPs for Neighbourhood Health Centres will be made by HM Treasury and the relevant ministers by the 2025 Autumn Budget.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to (a) help stop executions and (b) promote the democratic movement in Iran.

The UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstance as a matter of principle. We have repeatedly called on Iran to establish an immediate moratorium on executions, including at the UN Third Committee on 9 October. We continue to play an integral role in the delivery of the Committee's annual Iran human rights resolution, and will do so again this November. In November 2024, the resolution condemned Iran's application of the death penalty, which was in violation of its international obligations, including executions undertaken against persons on the basis of forced confessions and without fair trial and due process. We will continue to work with international partners to hold Iran to account for its continued human rights violations. We believe it is for the Iranian people to decide the future of Iran.

How many 16 to 18 year olds attended Army Foundation College Harrogate in each of the last five years.

The annual attendee figures are provided in the table below; all figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Courses straddle multiple calendar years, meaning some recruits who joined in one year and remain in attendance the following year will be counted in both years. Year Figure20202,81020212,67020222,10020231,99020242,330 Figures include trainees who join Army Foundation College Harrogate and leave within the same month, who would not otherwise appear on the monthly strengths.

How many medically discharged service personnel were provided with mental health assessments as part of their discharge process in each year since 2023.

The number of UK Armed Forces personnel medically discharged with a Structured Mental Health Assessment (SMHA) entered into their electronic medical record is as follows: 1,198 in 2023-24 (of 1,963 UK regular Armed Forces medical discharges)1,319 in 2024-25 (of 1,875 UK regular Armed Forces medical discharges) Service personnel undergoing medical discharge who are under the care of specialist mental health services may not have a SMHA as this is intended to identify unmet mental health needs prior to discharge. Only information on SMHA’s that is recorded on electronic medical records is available for electronic searches. Figures therefore are a minimum.

What the average time was between a service personnel being medically discharged and them receiving a copy of their full medical records in each of the last three years.

When an individual leaves the Armed Forces, Ministry of Defence recognises the importance of facilitating the transfer of healthcare information to their civilian healthcare provider(s). On leaving Defence Medical Services (DMS) care, Service personnel are provided with a medical care summary, known as an FMed133, and advised to register with an NHS GP and provide them a copy of their FMED 133. If a patient’s full DMS health record is required, this is provided on request to their NHS GP. Given this and that some records are never requested, no accurate estimate can be made of the average time from discharge to the receipt of the medical records by the NHS GP. To improve the transfer of healthcare information, DMS is working towards the greater interoperability with NHS systems and the electronic transfer of medical records from DMS to NHS GPs. Programme CORTISONE is expected to implement changes over the next one-two years.

What the average time was between a service personnel being informed of a decision to medically discharge them and the date of their discharge in each year since 2023.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has comprehensive policies and procedures in place to facilitate a smooth discharge process for UK Service personnel leaving their Service. Policy provides a timeline of actions to be taken from nine months before leaving; these steps include arranging a final medical and dental examination, meeting with a resettlement officer, submitting pension forms, and ensuring personal records are accurate. The process also includes returning service property and IDs, taking terminal leave, and receiving a service leavers' pack. The MOD offers support through the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) and Defence Transition Services (DTS), which provide help with employment, housing, health, and other aspects of transitioning to civilian life. The MOD also has a comprehensive policy in place for managing personnel who are wounded, injured, and sick (WIS), which includes coordinated support for those medically discharged. Medical discharges follow a specific process involving a medical board review, and personnel may be eligible for compensation. The MOD aims to provide personnel with a "Discharge Assessment," which is a final case conference to ensure all issues are resolved or a plan is in place before they leave. Personnel who are medically discharged are automatically referred to DTS or the Veterans Welfare Service (VWS). Service leavers, veterans, and their families can access support, help and information with issues that may endure beyond discharge irrespective of their reason for discharge. DTS/VWS clients are supported according to their needs and preferences; this may be simple transitional needs or enduring healthcare support for more complex challenges including PTSD. Structured Mental Health Assessments are part of the medical discharge process and are conducted by Defence GPs and screen for mental disorders at the point of discharge. Where personnel leaving the Armed Forces have an enduring need for mental healthcare, Defence Medical Services work in partnership with the NHS to ensure continuation of care. Personnel who have been assessed and diagnosed with a mental health need are able to access Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMH) for up to six months after discharge to provide continuity of care during the transition period until appropriate handover to other services can be completed as required. In some circumstances a DCMH Mental Health Social Worker will undertake a full assessment of transition needs, including onward referral to NHS and third sector services for continued mental healthcare. The period between being informed and the actual date of discharge can vary significantly, depending on various factors, including individual entitlement to leave and the duration between a medical board awarding a particular medical grading and an employment board sitting and deciding on whether to medically discharge. Information on the average time between a Service person being informed of a decision to medically discharge them and the date of their discharge in each year since 2023 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

How much funding his Department provided to (a) Defence Transition Services, (b) Personal Recovery Units and (c) the Veterans Welfare Service in each year since 2023.

It is taking time to collate the required information to answer the hon. Member's Question. I will write to her when the information is available, and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Library of The House.