Written questions by Roome.

Who has been commissioned to develop the business case for the proposed public private partnerships for neighbourhood health centres in the NHS 10 year plan; which (a) companies and (b) other organisations expressed an interest; and whether (i) patients, (ii) other members of the public and (iii) NHS staff will be part of the decision-making process.

The business case is being co-developed with the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority and the Department. A preliminary market engagement notice was issued on 1 July 2025, which is available at the following link:https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/036389-2025Responses from companies who are interested in this opportunity are commercially sensitive and so cannot be shared.The business case will set out the potential for a public private partnerships model and an assessment of value for money so that a final decision on the approach can be taken by the time of the 2025 Budget in the autumn. If a decision is taken to proceed then further market engagement will take place on the model and approach. The location of, and services provided through, Neighbourhood Health Centres will be decided at a local level by the National Health Service and other stakeholders, based on the local needs of patients.

Whether his Department plans to (a) increase dental student training places (i) at Peninsula Dental School and (ii) in the South West and (b) ensure that dental workforce planning includes recruitment and retention in (A) rural and (B) coastal areas.

Peninsula Dental School would be considered for any possible future allocated dental training places, as would other dental schools in the same position, including in the South West.For the allocation of additional training places to begin, a guidance letter confirming the maximum fundable limit for training places must be sent to the Office for Students. A guidance letter has not yet been sent for 2026/27.Later this year, we will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan to create a workforce ready to deliver a transformed service. Our workforce plan will ensure that the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients when they need it.We are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a dentist, particularly in more rural and coastal areas. Integrated care boards are recruiting posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the ratio between revenue raised by the Building Safety Levy, and building remediation expenditure, in rural areas.

The building safety levy has built in measures to minimise impact on housing while balancing the need to raise the revenue required to make homes safe. Measures to achieve this include:Variable levy rates at local authority level.A 50% discount on developments on previously developed land reflecting the often additional costs of building on these sites.Exemptions from the levy including Affordable Housing.The Building Safety Levy is an industry contribution towards building safety remediation. Revenue is raised from new, non-exempt, residential development which principally occurs in and around urban areas. Expenditure is directed at buildings over 11m in height which are principally located in urban areas.

When dental contracts will be uplifted in England; and what that uplift will be in percentage terms.

The Department accepted the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration (DDRB) recommendation of a 4% increase in the pay element of the dental contract. The Department will be engaging with the British Dental Association on the implementation of this uplift in due course.The Department published its response to 2025/26 pay recommendations earlier than it has for several years. This paves the way for staff getting their pay rises earlier, including general dental practitioners, via uplifts to NHS dental contracts.

What assessment his Department has made of the merits of procuring additional E-7A Wedgetail AEW Mk1 aircraft beyond those specified in the 2021 Integrated Defence Review.

The Ministry of Defence is continuing with its procurement of E-7 Wedgetail in order to meet the national and NATO requirements for an Airborne Early Warning and Control capability which is interoperable with its allies.

Whether he is taking steps to ensure that serving armed forces personnel living alone in service accommodation who are parents have time with their children.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) remains committed to widening entitlement to family accommodation to support personnel with non-resident children, as set out in the Modernised Accommodation Offer. The policy and timescales for these changes remain under review. Currently, entitlement to Service Family Accommodation (SFA) is necessarily driven by personnel’s status as accompanied or unaccompanied. Those who are single, whilst retaining “Prime Mover” status for their child(ren), have a prima facie entitlement to SFA. Single parents with child(ren) who do not reside with them permanently are eligible to apply for surplus SFA where capacity allows; moreover, no Service person is required to reside in Service-owned Single Living Accommodation (SLA) or SFA and may choose to rent locally to better accommodate their personal circumstances. Additionally, the MOD offers support for eligible personnel to purchase a home through the Forces Help to Buy Scheme. If residing in SLA, Serving parents with non-resident children may access Service-provided Contact Houses at minimal cost. Contact Houses are fully furnished ‘homes from home’ which seek to meet the needs of those with family or welfare needs which fall outside of the permanent accommodation entitlement criteria, and without imposing an unsustainable financial burden.

Whether his Department plans to amend the eligibility requirements for free NHS prescriptions, in the context of increases to the State Pension age.

The Department currently has no plans to align the upper age prescription charge exemption with the State Pension age.

How many armed forces recruits have received a conditional offer letter within 10 days from the (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force since 1 January 2025.

Following the announcement by the Secretary of State for Defence in September 2024 of the ambition to make a conditional offer of employment to candidates within 10 days, and a provisional training start date within 30 days if they desire it, the Armed Forces have been focused on implementing this initiative into their recruitment pipelines. Significant work to expedite basic eligibility checks has been required to ensure an appropriate level of candidate checks is completed before conditional offers are issued, and they are working to expedite checks. I will make further announcements on progress in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Sanctions and Anti‑Money Laundering Act 2018, what steps his Department will take to ensure British Overseas Territories implement public registers of beneficial ownership in a timely fashion; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of legitimate interest access to beneficial ownership registers on levels of transparency.

Please refer to my Written Ministerial Statement of 3 July which provides an update and details of next steps.We have made very clear to our partners in the remaining Overseas Territories the importance of delivering on the previously committed to deadlines, and have offered technical support to achieve this. We have communicated that we expect rapid and robust action to be taken, given the crucial importance of tackling illicit finance and increasing transparency. We have set out that we expect access to be granted to a wide range of legitimate users, that registers should enable proactive investigations and should act as a deterrent to those seeking to conceal illicit gains.Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials have conducted an in-house assessment of the latest policies and proposals from these Overseas Territories against the discussions at the Joint Ministerial Council in November 2024. In addition, we have reviewed feedback from a range of external stakeholders including expert NGOs and parliamentarians. We have also considered emerging international modalities which cover legitimate interest access registers.

What steps his Department is taking to increase the uptake of statutory paternity leave.

The Government is committed to making life better for families. Through the Employment Rights Bill we are making Paternity Leave a ‘day one’ right, which will bring an extra 32,000 fathers and partners into scope of the entitlement. On the first of July we launched the Parental Leave Review, which presents a much-needed opportunity to consider our approach to the system of parental leave and pay. All current and upcoming parental leave and pay entitlements, including Paternity Leave and Pay, will be in scope.

What steps his Department is taking to help increase the uptake of Shared Parental Leave.

The Government know that the arrival of a child, whether through birth or adoption, is a transformative time in a family’s life. On the first of July, we launched the Parental Leave Review, which presents a much-needed opportunity to consider our approach to the system of parental leave and pay. All current and upcoming parental leave and pay entitlements, including Shared Parental Leave and Pay, will be in scope.

Whether children who become eligible for free school meals in 2026 will also be eligible for pupil premium funding.

Pupil premium funding is allocated to eligible schools based on the number of:Pupils who are recorded as eligible for free school meals (FSM), or have been recorded as eligible in the past 6 years (referred to as Ever 6 FSM),Children previously looked after by a local authority or other state care, including children adopted from state care or equivalent from outside England and Wales.Pupil premium funding is allocated to local authorities based on the number of:Looked-after children, supported by the local authority.Pupils who meet any of the eligibility criteria and who attend an independent setting, where the local authority pays full tuition fees.Pupil premium will continue to be allocated on this basis, on the basis of household income below £7,400 (after tax, not including benefits) for the 2026/27 financial year.We are reviewing how we allocate pupil premium funding in the longer term. We will provide more information in due course.

What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Estates Safety Fund.

The 2025/26 Estates Safety Fund is an essential first step towards addressing the poorest quality estates across the National Health Service and to ensuring hospitals are safe and sustainable. It will deliver vital safety improvements, enhance patient and staff environments, and support NHS productivity at approximately 400 hospitals, mental health units, and ambulance sites.As my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced at the Spending Review, health capital budgets will increase to £14.6 billion by the end of the Spending Review period. Across this multi-year settlement, over £5 billion will be invested to address the most critical building repairs, and the 2025/26 Estates Safety Fund is the first step in delivering this targeted investment.

What steps her Department is taking to help reduce waiting times for driving tests; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of waiting times on driving test (a) candidates and (b) examiners.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times. On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce waiting times for all customers across Great Britain. As acknowledged in the announcement regarding these measures, DVSA understands the potential impact high waiting times have on learner drivers, and the importance of helping learners pass quickly. Further information on these actions and progress on the DVSA’s plan to reduce waiting times, which was set out last year, can be found on GOV.UK. All staff at the agency are working tirelessly to reduce waiting times and help more people get on the road. Driving examiners have been asked to carry out overtime, but this is on a voluntary basis. Examiners may also revise their shift patterns to incorporate weekend working. The wellbeing and health and safety of colleagues, including driving examiners, is paramount, and DVSA will continue to support its people through its comprehensive wellbeing approach.

What assessment his Department has made of the impact of the New Hospital Programme Review on NHS staffing levels in Wave 2 and Wave 3 hospitals.

An equality impact assessment was carried out for the review of the New Hospital Programme which included assessing the extent to which service users, including staff, might be impacted by these delivery proposals, with specific reference to the impact that these might have on relevant protected characteristics. This was laid in the House Library and published on 20 January, and is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/new-hospital-programme-review-outcome/new-hospital-programme-equality-impact-assessmentAppropriate National Health Service staffing levels are determined locally. We will publish a new workforce plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade and will 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.

What steps he is taking to increase intake numbers at dental schools (a) for dental (i) hygienists and (ii) therapists and (b) in general.

We will publish a refreshed workforce plan to ensure the National Health Service has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it.According to the Higher Education Students Early Statistics survey, the number of student starters in dental hygiene courses increased to 150 in the 2024/25 academic year, compared to 140 in 2023/24. Similarly, the number of student starters in dental therapy courses increased to 335 in 2024/25, up from 315 in the previous year.We want to remove the barriers to training in clinical roles, which is why eligible dental hygiene and dental therapy students can access the NHS Learning Support Fund. This includes a non-repayable grant of £5,000 per academic year, and further support is available for childcare, dual accommodation costs, and travel. The funding arrangements are reviewed annually at the start of each academic year.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the functions of the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator will be extended to align with those of the Grocery Code Adjudicator.

The Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator (ASCA) is responsible for enforcing regulations developed under the Agriculture Act 2020 'Fair Dealing' powers (section 29). Regulations introduced using these powers promote fair contractual dealing and contribute to a more equitable relationship between producers and purchasers. To date, the powers have been used to create the Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024 and the Fair Dealing Obligations (Pigs) Regulations 2025. The ASCA can investigate relevant complaints and has significant powers to impose fines and/or order compensation to be paid by those found to be in breach. The ASCA also aims to be a convener across supply chains, working with both producers and purchasers to improve business relationships and behaviours around contracts. The remit of ASCA deals with those who farmers supply directly, which in most cases is not supermarkets. The ASCA therefore has a distinct role and way of working to the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA), which instead regulates the relationship between large retailers and their direct suppliers. The ASCA and the GCA are also in regular contact as they fulfil their respective remits, ensuring co-ordination without duplication. The Government are committed to an evidence-based approach to regulating the supply chain. The fourth statutory review of the GCA’s effectiveness was recently launched, with a public consultation open which closes on 5 August. We encourage anyone interested to respond to the review’s consultation and will carefully consider the views received. We will also conduct a statutory review into the effectiveness of the ‘Fair Dealing’ regulations in due course.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2025 to Question 57799 on Electric Vehicles: Exports, whether the environmental contribution made by British-manufactured electric vehicles exported overseas counts towards UK climate target figures.

The UK follows the agreed international approach for estimating and reporting greenhouse gas emissions, under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, which is for countries to report emissions produced within their territories. On this basis, emissions savings generated by the use of British-manufactured electric vehicles overseas do not count towards the UK’s reported emissions.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of improving regulations for non-quota species in UK waters.

The Government recognises the value and importance of non-quota species (NQS). Improving regulation to protect these stocks and secure the future of the fishing industry is a priority for this Government and part of an on-going programme of work though Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs). Following publication of six FMPs in 2023, new measures to improve regulation of NQS are being introduced. More plans to improve NQS regulation are due to be published by the end of 2025.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the recommendation on Feedback on accountability and implementation on page 18 of the report by NCVO and ACEVO entitled A New Partnership: Building a Covenant for Civil Society and Government, published on 21 May 2025.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is developing a Civil Society Covenant which will be published in the Summer. The Covenant will act as a foundation for resetting the relationship between government and civil society, symbolising recognition of the sector as a trusted and independent partner. DCMS is working closely with departments across government, including the Cabinet Office, to ensure the Covenant is developed and implemented effectively. DCMS has also worked closely with civil society organisations, including NCVO and ACEVO, from the beginning of the process and has conducted a significant period of engagement across the civil society sector to inform the development of the Covenant. The feedback and recommendations in the NCVO and ACEVO report titled ‘A New Partnership’ are being carefully considered as the Covenant develops.