Written questions by Maguire.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to make healthy food options affordable to low-income families.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone has access to nutritious, affordable food. The Government’s recently launched Food Strategy will ensure that access to healthy food is affordable and accessible to all. The Government has also committed to roll out free breakfast clubs at all primary schools, whilst also tripling investment in breakfast clubs to over £30 million. Additionally, this Government has committed to delivering its plan to make work pay to turn the minimum wage into a real living wage so that working families can afford healthy food Defra regularly engages with supermarkets and producers about a range of measures they can take to ensure the availability of affordable food. These measures include maintaining value ranges, price matching and price freezing. The range and price of food is a commercial decision for each retailer and the Government does not interfere in their day-to-day operations. This Government will also be introducing a Fair Repayment Rate for deductions from Universal Credit, and increasing the National Living Wage, boosting the pay of 3 million workers, ensuring that everyone can afford to make healthy food choices.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 2 September 2024 to Question 2170 on British National (Overseas): Pensions, whether he has had recent discussions with other banks on access to (a) pensions and (b) other financial assets in Hong Kong for people with British National (Overseas) visas.

We are aware that individuals who have chosen to take up the BN(O) visa route face difficulties in the early drawing down of their savings. This government is in regular contact with banks on a range of issues. Documentary requirements for withdrawing funds are a matter for the Hong Kong authorities, and officials continue to raise this issue directly with the Hong Kong Government to encourage a pragmatic solution.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure the timely publication of the final results of the Mirocals trial for motor neurone disease; and what steps his Department plans to take to ensure rapid access to Proleukin for patients through NHS pathways if the trial outcomes are positive.

The Department funds research via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR is not a direct funder of the Modifying Immune Response and Outcomes in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (MIROCALS) trial. It was funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme, the Motor Neurone Disease Association, the Programme Hospitalier de Recherche Clinique, the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, the Association Francaise contre les Myopathies, MND Scotland, and the Association pour la recherche sur la SLA. The UK’s Health Research Authority recommends that summary results from clinical trials of investigational medicinal products, such as the MIROCALS study, are made available within a year of the study being complete. However, it is the study sponsor’s responsibility, in this case the University Hospital Nimes, to publish the results. Both the Department and the NIHR are committed to publishing the results from research with full transparency and in a timely manner. The Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) does not publish data from clinical trials. It is critical that medicines used in the United Kingdom are safe and effective and as such, medicines cannot be marketed in the UK without a marketing authorisation. These are granted by the MHRA, which assesses all medicines with regard to their quality, safety, and efficacy. Proleukin (interleukin-2, Aldesleukin) has not been licensed by the MHRA as a treatment for motor neurone disease. It is the responsibility of the company to apply to the MHRA for a relevant marketing authorisation. Should an application for it be received, the MHRA will consider this accordingly. In England, newly licensed medicines are also appraised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to determine whether they represent a clinically and cost-effective use of National Health Service resources. If the manufacturer of Proleukin seeks a licence from the MHRA for the treatment of motor neurone disease, then the NICE will consider it through its topic selection process. If selected for evaluation, the NICE aims to issue recommendations close to the point of licensing wherever possible.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with water companies on upgrading infrastructure to ensure the sewage system can accommodate heavy rainfall without overflowing sewage into waterways.

For too long, water companies have discharged record levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas. That is why we are placing water companies under special measures through the Water (Special Measures) Bill, which will strengthen regulation, including delivering new powers to ban the payment of bonuses for polluting water bosses and bringing criminal charges against persistent law breakers. For Price Review 2024, which runs from 2025 – 2030, water companies are investing almost £12 billion to improve 2,800 storm overflows across England and Wales. Where required outcomes are not met, companies must reimburse customers, thereby holding water companies to account to deliver the investment. Going forward, the Secretary of State and I continue to meet regularly with water company leadership teams to hold them to account for and ensure they are delivering for customers and the environment. In October 2024, the Secretary of State, in conjunction with the Welsh Government, also launched an Independent Commission on the water sector regulatory system. This is a wide-ranging review to fundamentally transform how our water system works and clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good.

Whether she has plans to increase funding for STEM education at secondary school level.

High and rising school standards are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life. The best way of supporting education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects is to ensure high quality teaching in these subjects, by helping schools to recruit and retain good teachers.The department has therefore announced an Initial Teacher Training financial incentives package for the 2025/26 academic year worth £233 million, a £37 million increase on the last recruitment cycle. This includes a range of measures, including bursaries worth £29,000 tax-free and scholarships worth £31,000 tax-free, to encourage talented trainees in key STEM subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing.For the 2024/25 and 2025/26 academic years, the department is also offering a targeted retention incentive worth up to £6,000 after tax for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools. This will support recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in these subjects and in the schools and areas that need them most.In the 2025/26 financial year, the government will continue to fund subject continuing professional development (CPD) and other programmes in mathematics, computing and physics. This includes Maths Hubs, which co-ordinate mathematics CPD, and the ‘Subject knowledge for physics teachers’ programme, an intensive retraining programme for teachers teaching physics out of specialism.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of not increasing Local Housing Allowance rates in 2025-2026 on families.

The decision to maintain Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates at current levels for 2025/26 considered a range of factors such as, rental data, the impacts of LHA rates, the Government’s missions and wider fiscal context and the fact that rates were increased in April. We are also investing £1bn in funding for both the Household Support Fund (HSF) and Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) (including Barnett impacts) for 2025/26 and will be ensuring DHP funding is maintained at current levels. DHPs are available from local authorities for those unable to meet a shortfall in their rent.We are publishing a Long-Term Housing Strategy in the Spring, to reform the housing market so that it works better for communities, to build 1.5 million high-quality homes, and deliver the biggest increase in affordable housing for a generation, this includes an extra £500m in new funding for the Affordable Homes Programme.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Ofwat on the enforcement of existing laws to protect waterways.

Ofwat regularly meet with Defra, other Government departments and regulators to discuss enforcement policy and activities. As part of their investigation into all water companies, earlier this year Ofwat proposed fines of £168 million for three companies (Thames, Yorkshire and Northumbria Water) for failing to manage their wastewater treatment works and networks, as part of the first batch of outcomes from its biggest ever investigation. These fines are alongside proposed enforcement orders, which require each company to rectify issues to bring them into compliance. Ofwat has also recently announced four more enforcement cases in relation to management of wastewater treatment works and networks. Furthermore, the Water (Special Measures) Bill will provide the most significant increase in enforcement powers to the regulators in a decade, giving them the teeth they need to take tougher action against water companies in the next investment period, which is due to start in April next year. The Bill will provide Ofwat with legal powers to ban bonuses, where currently they can only set expectations, and ensure that imprisonment will always be available to the courts as a sentencing option where investigations by the environmental regulators have been obstructed. On 23 October 2024, the UK and Welsh Governments launched an independent commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, to recommend reforms to reset the water sector regulatory system. The Commission will publish a report in Q2 2025, with recommendations for actionable solutions to the sector’s problems.

If she will take steps to (a) improve the financial educational resources and tools available for adults who are no longer in formal education and (b) increase awareness of the resources currently available.

Given the current cost of living it is essential for individuals to possess the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively manage their finances. DWP invests in upskilling their staff to increase their confidence in guiding customers through conversations about enhancing their financial skills and understanding the advantages of doing so. DWP supports customers to improve their financial skills by signposting them to MoneyHelper in order to help them make better financial choices. MoneyHelper operates across the UK, however, as financial skills is a devolved matter, additional support is available in Scotland and Wales. DWP is consistently striving to enhance the services provided to our customers, ensuring they receive the most effective guidance by directing them to bodies that can assist in improving their financial skills.

Media and Sport, what the (a) scope of and (b) timeline for producing the National Youth Strategy is.

This Strategy, co-produced with young people and the youth sector, will better coordinate youth services, bringing power back to young people and their communities, and rebuilding a thriving and sustainable sector.Over the coming months, we will be developing our plans in partnership with young people and with organisations within the youth sector, engaging closely with them to fully understand their needs and the issues they consider to be most crucial in addressing. This National Youth Strategy will cover youth services and policy at local, regional and national levels, and will outline a long-term vision for how all young people can realise their potential, with choices and chances, and be empowered and active members of society. It will also look to empower local areas and communities, moving away from one-size-fits-all approaches.We will be holding a series of youth-led roundtables and we will set up a youth advisory board to work alongside us, influence our work and challenge us every step of the way. We will ensure this is an accessible engagement period that reaches as many young people as possible.We will be publishing the Strategy in 2025.

What the average time is between first inquiry and enlistment for candidates wishing to serve in the (a) Royal Navy, (b) Royal Air Force and (c) Army.

The new Government inherited a crisis in recruitment. We have made it a priority to address this with a series of work streams designed to increase recruitment and renew the contract between the nation and those who serve to improve retention. Many factors affect the time taken to proceed through the recruiting pipeline. Many candidates proceed much faster than the average when they are well prepared and ready to move quickly. Others take longer, for reasons including:Delays in the receipt of primary healthcare records.Medical deferment for those requiring time to get medically fit.The need to align the start of basic of training with trade training.A candidate’s current domestic, employment and housing situation.A candidate’s choice regarding pace and level of engagement. The requested numerical information is provided in the table below, noting that direct comparisons between each Service should be avoided due to the different processes in use; for example, recruits to the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force must achieve a Security Check level of security clearance before joining. Average Time of Flight taken between Application and Basic Training Starts for Regular Other Ranks UK Nationals in the 12 Months ending 1 October 2024ServiceTime of Flight (Days)Royal Navy (RN) / Royal Marines (RM)279Army249Royal Air Force (RAF)301 Notes:Time of Flight is defined as the time passed in days between the date of application and the date of intake to the untrained strength.​Average Time of Flight is expressed as the median number of days, meaning that Time of Flight for half of all candidates is shorter than the figures provided, and half is longer. For example, half of RN/RM candidates take up to 279 days, with half taking longer.Application data is taken from the Defence Recruitment System and Recruitment IT System (RN and RAF) and matched to intake data from the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) system and should reflect time of entry to training.Army figures differ from Recruiting Group (RG) information reported elsewhere due to differing methodologies. The RG figures are intended to support operational decision-makers monitoring operational and pipeline performance.Applications from non-UK candidates are excluded, with Nationality as declared on JPA. Army figures include applications from Irish personnel but exclude applications from other countries and those applicants without a known nationality.For a small number of Navy personnel, application date is recorded as after their intake date, likely due to outflowing and re-joining the Service. These personnel have been excluded from calculations.When an individual has multiple applications to the RAF, the applications closest before their intake was used as the application submission date.Where an application date is not held in the data or an application cannot be matched to intake, such as where there is no corresponding service number or National Insurance number, the case is excluded.

What assessment his Department has made of the impact of youth services on (a) the Government’s prevention agenda and (b) achieving positive outcomes for public health.

Youth services play a vital role in supporting the Government’s prevention agenda and for achieving positive outcomes for public health. These services provide early intervention and support that can prevent the development of more serious health and social issues, including mental health challenges, substance misuse, and physical health problems. The Department recognises the importance of youth services in promoting healthy behaviours, building resilience, and improving mental and physical wellbeing among young people. In the context of mental health, the Government’s commitment to improving outcomes for babies, children, and young people is outlined in the publication Improving the mental health of babies, children, and young people, which highlights the value of preventative approaches and the role of youth-focused interventions. Further information on this publication is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/improving-the-mental-health-of-babies-children-and-young-people/improving-the-mental-health-of-babies-children-and-young-people-a-framework-of-modifiable-factors

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of regulating the prices for electric vehicle charging points.

The Government is committed to making EV charging infrastructure affordable and accessible. Energy suppliers providing energy to EV chargepoints are regulated by Ofgem. Ofgem does not currently set a limit for the price that can be charged for the resale of electricity through EV chargepoints. We continue to work with DESNZ and Ofgem on measures to keep EV charging affordable. Under the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023, all chargepoint operators must display the price of charging using a common metric of p/kWh and make their data on pricing available freely. This allows drivers to easily compare the price of charging and find the best chargepoint for their needs.

Whether she plans to implement the recommendations of the consultation entitled Review of the Computer Misuse Act 1990, which closed on 6 April 2023.

The Computer Misuse Act (CMA) plays a vital role in ensuring that the UK has the right legislative framework to allow us to tackle cyber harms. The Government is committed to ensuring the CMA remains up to date and effective to tackle criminality.As part of the Review, officials are scoping several areas of legislative reform to give law enforcement the tools and powers they need to investigate and prosecute cyber criminality.  Some of these areas are quite complex in nature and require further engagement with stakeholders to ensure we get them right.We will update in due course on any proposals that we take forward.

How much his Department spent on (a) weapons, (b) ammunition and (c) armoured fighting vehicles in (i) 2022/2023 and (ii) 2023/24; and what estimate he has made of such spending in 2024/25.

This information is not held centrally and therefore it has not been possible to provide the answer within the allotted time frame. I will write to the hon. Member with an update in due course and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

How many of his Department's (a) computers, (b) laptops, (c) phones and (d) USB sticks were (i) lost and (ii) stolen in each month in 2024.

The table below shows the number of computers, USBs, phones and laptops which were either lost or stolen in each month in 2024. The data supplied below is only for incidents which have been closed. Number of computers, USBs, phones and laptops which were either lost or stolen in 2024 (closed incidents) ComputersUSBsPhonesLaptopsJanuary191313February4467March151644April34137May03109June584117July11121910August00611September01198October023719November0142December (up to 15th)0051Total25125159138 We take the security of defence assets very seriously and have robust policies and procedures to prevent losses and thefts. Defence personnel are regularly reminded of their responsibilities to safeguard Defence assets.Proportionate security controls are used to protect electronic devices according to the classification and nature of the information which the asset can hold.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential (a) social and (b) economic impact of increasing investment in preventative upstream services such as youth work.

The Prime Minister has set out the Plan for Change for this government, with early intervention at the centre of the government's priorities, including giving children the best start in life, putting police back on the beat, and ending hospital backlogs. The Chancellor also set out that prevention would be a key theme of the Spending Review. HMT will work with departments to develop proposals on prevention, including their social and economic impact, through phase 2 of the Spending Review.

What steps her Department is taking to increase levels of retention of educational psychologists beyond the minimum period they are required to remain in their local authority after their training is completed.

This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life, breaking down the barriers to opportunity.Educational psychologists play a crucial role in the support available to children and young people, including those with SEND. Local authorities, as the employers of educational psychology services, are responsible for ensuring that their services are adequately staffed.However, the department is taking measures to support local authorities by investing in building the pipeline. We are investing over £21 million to train 400 more educational psychologists from 2024. This is in addition to the £10 million currently being invested in the training of over 200 educational psychologists who began their training in September 2023.To support retention, following graduation, trainees who have had their training funded by the department are required to remain in local authority employment for a minimum period. For trainees beginning their course in September 2024, this requirement has increased to three years.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) progress towards a resolution, (b) support civilians and (c) work diplomatically with regional partners to secure peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The UK is committed to supporting the Luanda process which aims to bring about sustainable peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and encourages continued engagement and delivery on commitments by all parties. The postponement of the tripartite summit on 15 December was disappointing and the UK has urged both parties to return to the negotiating table. In August and September, Lord Collins visited Angola, DRC and Rwanda where he met with their respective presidents and urged de-escalation. The UK is delivering a three-year £115 million humanitarian programme in the east of DRC, providing life-saving emergency assistance and increasing the resilience of crisis affected communities.

Food and Rural Affairs, what support his Department provides farmers to (a) research and (b) implement natural defences to aphids instead of neonicotinoid pesticides.

The UK Government has provided research funding through the Farming Futures Fund to look at the potential for precision breeding in producing virus-resistant varieties of sugar beet. Separately, the British Beet Research Organisation is operating an industry-funded programme researching alternative methods to protect sugar beet crops. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is at the heart of our approach to minimise the risks associated with pesticides. Four IPM actions are available within the Sustainable Farming Incentive. Farmers are paid to complete an assessment and produce an IPM plan; establish and maintain flower-rich grass margins, blocks, or in-field strips; establish a companion crop and to move towards pesticide-free farming.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities, Housing and Local Government on the potential impact of targets for newly-built homes on the capacity of smaller sewage pumping stations.

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential. The Government recognises the importance of having a robust drainage system both now and for future demand and expects water companies to plan their infrastructure appropriately to meet new growth. As part of the Environment Act 2021, water companies in England are required to produce Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMPs). DWMPs set out how a water company intends to improve their drainage and wastewater systems over the next 25 years, accounting for factors including growing population and changing environmental circumstances. These plans will help sewerage companies to fully assess the capacity of the wastewater network and develop collaborative solutions to current problems and future issues.