Written questions by Maguire.

What recent assessment he has made of how close Iran is to making nuclear weapons; and what discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts on this.

The Government is carefully monitoring the current situation in Iran, and continues to work closely with our allies. The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) published its report on national security issues relating to Iran on 10 July 2025 which includes information on Iran’s Nuclear programme https://isc.independent.gov.uk/publications/. As is usual, the Government will also provide a full response to the ISC's report in due course.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that people who migrate from income-related Employment and Support Allowance to Universal Credit are not affected by reductions in Council Tax Support.

Councils are required to provide a Local Council Tax Support (LCTS) scheme to support low-income households. Support for working age households, including the treatment of benefits, is designed by councils in consultation with their residents, taking into account the needs and circumstances of their local communities. Each year, councils must consider whether to revise or replace their scheme. For pension age households, councils administer a centrally prescribed LCTS scheme, which is reviewed annually.

Whether his Department has set a target number of days by which individual applications to the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme need to have been assessed by.

Due to the unique nature of each application, and the need to assess each on a case-by-case basis, the Ministry of Defence is unable to set a target number of days by which individual applications to the LGBT Veterans Financial Recognition Scheme need to have been assessed. The assessment process is complex, and processing times will vary based on the specific circumstances of each Veteran’s application. This work must be conducted thoroughly to ensure fair and accurate outcomes for applicants and the responsible management of public funds. We have been prioritising payment to the elderly and those with serious health conditions to ensure they receive support as quickly as possible, with the first payments issued as planned within 15 weeks of the Scheme going live to these prioritised groups.

What estimate his Department has made of the potential cost of dismantling Pressurized Water Reactor nuclear reactors on redundant submarines at (a) Devonport and (b) Rosyth dockyards; and what recent discussions the Defence Nuclear Enterprises has had with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority on decommissioning those nuclear reactors.

It is not possible to provide an assured cost estimate to dismantle the Pressurised Water Reactors on the decommissioned submarines at Devonport and Rosyth. Once the demonstrator submarine, SWIFTSURE, has achieved full dismantling in 2026 the Department will have a better understanding of cost estimates for the submarine dismantling process, subject to future commercial negotiations. The Defence Nuclear Enterprise continues to work closely with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to ensure collaboration on submarine disposal.

What estimate she has made of the number of children eligible for free school meals who are not currently receiving them in Epsom and Ewell constituency.

This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. We have now announced that we are extending free school meals (FSM) to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026. This will lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty and put £500 back in families’ pockets, supporting parents in decisive action to improve lives ahead of the Child Poverty Strategy coming later this year.Providing over half a million children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds with a free, nutritious lunchtime meal every school day will also lead to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes, meaning children get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life.The department publishes data on FSM eligibility and the number of eligible pupils taking a free school meal on school census day in the annual 'Schools, pupils and their characteristics' accredited official statistics. These statistics can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2024-25.

What steps he is taking to help mitigate the environmental impacts of AI data centres in relation to the target of Net Zero by 2050.

The Government’s forecasts for data centre demand to 2030 are consistent with its Clean Power 2030 Action Plan. The Government expects to be able to meet this demand through its plans to increase renewable power capacity, other low carbon generation and flexible and dispatchable power.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending existing provisions for mandatory Relationships, Sex and Health Education under the Children and Social Work Act 2017 to ensure everyone under the age of 18 can access (a) guidance and (b) support.

Relationships and sex education (RSE) is at the core of the personal development tutorial system in post-16 settings that enables students to discuss important issues relating to their lives as active adult citizens.As well as learning about British values, resilience, financial literacy and how to navigate the world of work, students participate in debates about respect, consent, coercive control, misogyny, domestic abuse and stereotyping, considering the impact of negative behaviours.Ofsted’s inspection regime includes personal development. Its judgement evaluates a college’s intent to provide for the personal development of learners and the quality of the way it does this, and education in healthy relationships is one of the areas of focus.The department has engaged an expert college leader and former Chair of the National Association of Managers of Student Services to develop a RSE toolkit to help colleges deliver high-quality, consistent lessons. This will provide delivery advice and tutorial materials, giving both sixth form college staff and general further education college staff the confidence and skills to deliver on personal development effectively, and to tackle misogyny head on. The toolkit is due to be launched in November.

Whether she has considered making relationships, sex and health education mandatory in (a) sixth form colleges and (b) other further education institutions.

Relationships and sex education (RSE) is at the core of the personal development tutorial system in post-16 settings that enables students to discuss important issues relating to their lives as active adult citizens.As well as learning about British values, resilience, financial literacy and how to navigate the world of work, students participate in debates about respect, consent, coercive control, misogyny, domestic abuse and stereotyping, considering the impact of negative behaviours.Ofsted’s inspection regime includes personal development. Its judgement evaluates a college’s intent to provide for the personal development of learners and the quality of the way it does this, and education in healthy relationships is one of the areas of focus.The department has engaged an expert college leader and former Chair of the National Association of Managers of Student Services to develop a RSE toolkit to help colleges deliver high-quality, consistent lessons. This will provide delivery advice and tutorial materials, giving both sixth form college staff and general further education college staff the confidence and skills to deliver on personal development effectively, and to tackle misogyny head on. The toolkit is due to be launched in November.

Food and Rural Affairs, what support is available to local environmental groups undertaking citizen science river testing.

The Environment Agency (EA) recognises the value of citizen science data, and the additional insight it can provide to complement its monitoring and assessment work. With Spending Review funding, the EA is collaborating with citizen science groups in observing and measuring the environment. The data that is captured complements the EA’s own monitoring efforts and further increases understanding of water quality. This collaboration is already creating strong relationships with citizen science groups, and improving data integration. The recently published Technical Advisory Framework guides best practice in citizen science monitoring which can be found on the Environment Agency Water Hub. To get involved with citizen science including river testing it encourages all interested communities to contact their local catchment partnership - details on how to do this can be found in the Technical Advisory Framework.

How much bus companies are reimbursed per journey for disabled bus pass holders; and whether this is a fixed rate across regions.

Reimbursement rates under the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) are not typically split between disabled and older passholders. However, the average rate of reimbursement for both statutory and discretionary concessionary journeys in 2023/24 was £1.44 for England outside of London (£1.17 for England) but varies by area.Bus operators must be reimbursed on a ‘no better and no worse off’ basis for carrying concessionary passholders. The reimbursement rate is not a fixed rate across England as it is dependent on local conditions such as fares and the cost of carrying concessionary passengers for additional journeys made under the scheme.The Department for Transport issues reimbursement guidance and a calculator to facilitate the reimbursement rates from Local Transport Authorities to operators.

Whether he plans to review standing charges on electricity bills for households on prepayment meters.

The Government knows that too much of the burden of the bill is placed on standing charges. We are committed to lowering the cost of standing charges and have worked constructively with the regulator, Ofgem, on this issue. Ofgem have been considering how to ensure that consumers have a range of choices, including tariffs with no standing charges, available, including for prepayment meter customers. Ofgem launched a consultation on proposals to introduce zero standing charge tariffs which closed on 20 March. Ofgem will issue a response to this consultation in due course.

What the current NHS dentist vacancy rate is in Surrey; and what steps he is taking to ensure equitable dental care access in Epsom and Ewell constituency.

In 2024, there was a 20% vacancy rate for NHS dentists in the Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board (ICB), which includes the Epsom and Ewell constituency. We do not hold data at constituency level. More data is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/dental-workforce/The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to ICBs across England. For the Epsom and Ewell constituency, this is Surrey Heartlands ICB.We will deliver 700,000 extra urgent dental appointments per year, and ICBs have been making extra appointments available from 1 April 2025. Surrey Heartlands ICB is expected to deliver 6,585 additional urgent dental appointments as part of the scheme.The Government’s ambition is to deliver fundamental contract reform before the end of this Parliament.

How many additional unmanned (a) air, (b) ground, (c) underwater and (d) surface systems are planned to be delivered over the next three years.

This Strategic Defence Review recommends that an immediate priority for force transformation should be a shift towards greater use of autonomy and Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the UK's conventional forces. Uncrewed and autonomous systems will be incorporated into the Integrated Force in a significant way over the next five years as part of a 'high-low' mix of capabilities whether undersea, at sea, on land, or over land. The major funding package includes more than £4 billion for autonomous systems in this Parliament. Further details will be set out as part of the Defence Investment Plan.

What steps he is taking to help GPs who are unable to find employment despite workforce shortages.

The Government has invested £82 million in the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS), which has enabled the recruitment of more than 1,900 recently qualified general practitioners (GPs) in England since October. This will increase the number of available appointments, secure the future supply of GPs, and alleviate the pressure on those currently working in the system.Under recently announced changes to the GP Contract in 2025/26, the ARRS will become more flexible to allow primary care networks to respond better to local workforce needs. The two ARRS pots have been combined to create a single pot for reimbursement of patient-facing staff costs. There will be no restrictions on the number or type of staff covered, including GPs and practice nurses.On 27 February, the Government and the British Medical Association agreed to the changes to the GP Contract to fix the front door of the National Health Service, and to bring back the family doctor. We are investing an additional £889 million in GPs for 2025/26, bringing total spending on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion. This is the largest uplift to GP funding since the beginning of the five-year framework, and means we are reversing recent trends by allocating a rising share of NHS resources to GPs.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of core funding for general practice.

We have invested an additional £889 million in general practice (GP) to reinforce the front door of the National Health Service, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade, and we are pleased that the General Practitioners Committee England is supportive of the contract changes.The changes to the contract will improve services for patients and make progress towards the Government’s Health Mission, supporting the three key shifts the Government wants to achieve, from analogue to digital, from sickness to prevention, and from hospital to community care.GP providers are valued independent contractors. Every year we consult with the sector both about what services they provide, and the money providers are entitled to in return under their contract. Operating costs for these providers are taken into account as a part of this process.

How many unmanned (a) air, (b) ground, (c) underwater and (d) surface systems the armed forces have in service.

This Strategic Defence Review recommends that an immediate priority for force transformation should be a shift towards greater use of autonomy and Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the UK's conventional forces. Uncrewed and autonomous systems will be incorporated into the Integrated Force in a significant way over the next five years as part of a 'high-low' mix of capabilities whether undersea, at sea, on land, or over land. The major funding package includes more than £4 billion for autonomous systems in this Parliament. Further details will be set out as part of the Defence Investment Plan.

How many unmanned (a) air, (b) ground, (c) underwater and (d) surface systems the armed forces require to meet the Strategic Defence Review's proposed approach to war fighting.

This Strategic Defence Review recommends that an immediate priority for force transformation should be a shift towards greater use of autonomy and Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the UK's conventional forces. Uncrewed and autonomous systems will be incorporated into the Integrated Force in a significant way over the next five years as part of a 'high-low' mix of capabilities whether undersea, at sea, on land, or over land. The major funding package includes more than £4 billion for autonomous systems in this Parliament. Further details will be set out as part of the Defence Investment Plan.

For what reason the disregard of (a) War Pensions and (b) Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments is limited to £10 per week when calculating Pension Credit awards.

The receipt of War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) awards is already fully ignored when calculating eligibility for Universal Credit (UC). The first £10 per week of a War Pension or AFCS award is disregarded in: income-related Employment and Support allowance; income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance; and Income Support – which are being replaced by UC – as well as in Pension Credit. Armed Forces Independence Payments are also fully disregarded in these benefits and can allow the recipient to qualify for an additional disability amount. By default, the first £10 of a War Pension or AFCS award is also disregarded in Housing Benefit. Furthermore, a discretionary scheme allows local authorities to fully disregard them if they so wish. Additionally, War Pensions and AFCS awards are a qualifying income for the Savings Credit element of Pension Credit, which is available to those who reached State Pension age before April 2016. The treatment of military compensation payments contrasts with other schemes with a disablement element. For example, the Firefighters Compensation Scheme and the Police Pension Scheme have no income disregards applied at all, as any disablement elements form part of their occupational pension and so these are taken fully into account. The treatment of military compensation payments also contrasts with Industrial Injuries Disablement benefit where there is no weekly disregard. The £10 weekly disregard for War Pension or AFCS awards in legacy income-related benefits was introduced in recognition of the sacrifices made by service personnel in active service for the country. There are no plans to change the ways in which War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) awards interact with means tested benefits.

Whether she plans to extend the full disregard of military compensation payments applied in Universal Credit to the assessment of Pension Credit.

The receipt of War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) awards is already fully ignored when calculating eligibility for Universal Credit (UC). The first £10 per week of a War Pension or AFCS award is disregarded in: income-related Employment and Support allowance; income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance; and Income Support – which are being replaced by UC – as well as in Pension Credit. Armed Forces Independence Payments are also fully disregarded in these benefits and can allow the recipient to qualify for an additional disability amount. By default, the first £10 of a War Pension or AFCS award is also disregarded in Housing Benefit. Furthermore, a discretionary scheme allows local authorities to fully disregard them if they so wish. Additionally, War Pensions and AFCS awards are a qualifying income for the Savings Credit element of Pension Credit, which is available to those who reached State Pension age before April 2016. The treatment of military compensation payments contrasts with other schemes with a disablement element. For example, the Firefighters Compensation Scheme and the Police Pension Scheme have no income disregards applied at all, as any disablement elements form part of their occupational pension and so these are taken fully into account. The treatment of military compensation payments also contrasts with Industrial Injuries Disablement benefit where there is no weekly disregard. The £10 weekly disregard for War Pension or AFCS awards in legacy income-related benefits was introduced in recognition of the sacrifices made by service personnel in active service for the country. There are no plans to change the ways in which War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) awards interact with means tested benefits.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of different approaches to the treatment of military compensation payments across welfare benefits means tests on claimants.

The receipt of War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) awards is already fully ignored when calculating eligibility for Universal Credit (UC). The first £10 per week of a War Pension or AFCS award is disregarded in: income-related Employment and Support allowance; income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance; and Income Support – which are being replaced by UC – as well as in Pension Credit. Armed Forces Independence Payments are also fully disregarded in these benefits and can allow the recipient to qualify for an additional disability amount. By default, the first £10 of a War Pension or AFCS award is also disregarded in Housing Benefit. Furthermore, a discretionary scheme allows local authorities to fully disregard them if they so wish. Additionally, War Pensions and AFCS awards are a qualifying income for the Savings Credit element of Pension Credit, which is available to those who reached State Pension age before April 2016. The treatment of military compensation payments contrasts with other schemes with a disablement element. For example, the Firefighters Compensation Scheme and the Police Pension Scheme have no income disregards applied at all, as any disablement elements form part of their occupational pension and so these are taken fully into account. The treatment of military compensation payments also contrasts with Industrial Injuries Disablement benefit where there is no weekly disregard. The £10 weekly disregard for War Pension or AFCS awards in legacy income-related benefits was introduced in recognition of the sacrifices made by service personnel in active service for the country. There are no plans to change the ways in which War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) awards interact with means tested benefits.