Written questions by Roome.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the planned measures in chapter 3 of Part 1 of the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 on preventing rental discrimination of people in receipt of welfare benefits, whether his Department has had discussions with (a) insurance companies and (b) the Financial Conduct Authority on the (i) availability and (ii) price of (A) landlord, (B) buildings and (C) contents insurance policies for properties rented to people claiming welfare benefits; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the home insurance market on the ability of people in receipt of welfare benefits to rent property in accordance with that Act.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question 44561 on 22 April 2025.

What steps the Government is taking to protect the tax relief available to childminders under the current HMRC expenses agreement in light of the move Making Tax Digital, including the wear-and-tear allowance; and whether prior consultation will be issued before any changes.

At Budget 2025 the Government confirmed that the standard rules for calculating income tax would apply to childminders who are mandated into Making Tax Digital (MTD). We will phase in this change between 2026 and 2028, in line with the MTD income thresholds. Childminders can continue to claim tax relief for wear and tear by deducting the actual cost of buying, repairing or replacing items. They can also deduct the cost of business expenses such as utilities, cleaning and equipment. This ensures childminders receive tax relief for all of the costs that they incur in relation to their childminding business. HMRC engaged with stakeholders, including Coram PACEY, on these changes before the Budget, and are actively working with them to help childminders with the transition, answer any queries they may have, and produce updated guidance in early 2026.

With reference to the Public Order Act and the proposed designation of “life sciences” as key national infrastructure, what evidence was used to conclude that existing police powers are inadequate to address disruptive protest activity affecting life sciences sites, including animal research and testing facilities.

On Thursday 27 November 2025, the Home Office laid an affirmative Statutory Instrument in Parliament to amend Section 7 and Section 8 of the Public Order Act 2023. This will amend the list of key national infrastructure within Section 7 of the Public Order Act 2023, to add the Life Sciences sector and define the Life Sciences sector in Section 8 of the Act.To ensure these powers are workable and proportionate, the Home Office undertook targeted engagement with the police, the Crown Prosecution Service, and the Office for Life Sciences as the relevant government unit between the Department of Health and Social Care, and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and authorities with executive responsibility in their respective fields. This engagement provided a broad and comprehensive understanding of the challenges being managed by the Life Sciences Sector.The government remains committed to safeguarding the right to peaceful protest while ensuring that public order and safety are maintained. The amendments to the Public Order Act 2023 reflect the balance between these priorities, responding directly to the evidence gathered from those responsible for maintaining public safety and order.

What steps she is taking to help ensure that 16 to 18-year-olds leave school with access to employment, apprenticeships or training opportunities.

We are supporting young people to stay on and succeed in education and training until at least age 18, and ensure they can take up opportunities to move into work and/or further study. For example, eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers, backed by £90 million, are helping young people access support for training, apprenticeships or work. We have introduced foundation apprenticeships and are expanding them into more sectors, like hospitality and retail. We will ensure that a post-16 destination is identified for every year 11 pupil, and those most at risk of becoming NEET receive personalised transition support We are piloting the automatic allocation of a place at a further education (FE) provider for anyone aged 16-17 who doesn’t already have one. We are also investing in improved Risk of NEET Indicator tools and attendance tracking in FE, so that young people at risk of falling out of education are identified and supported.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of careers advice and post-16 employment support provided by secondary schools to pupils who do not intend to follow a further education or college route.

Through our commitments to improve careers advice in schools and to deliver two weeks’ worth of work experience for every young person, we are bridging the gap between the curriculum and the world of work.The updated Gatsby Benchmarks have been adopted into statutory guidance. The benchmarks provide a framework for good career guidance, tailored to meet each pupil’s needs, with insights into a broad range of career pathways.Our ambition for a minimum of two week’s worth of work experience by year 11 will further improve employability. Pupils from all backgrounds will be given access to progressive, high quality workplace experiences throughout their education journey.Evidence shows that these measures will support pupils to make successful transitions from education into training or employment. There is an established link between schools that achieve higher Gatsby Benchmark scores and improved education, employment and training rates for their pupils at post-16 and post-18.

What steps his Department is taking to improve the enforcement of child maintenance obligations in cases where non-resident parents repeatedly change employment or sources of income in order to evade their child maintenance liabilities.

Where a paying parent changes jobs, The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) uses real-time information from HMRC where available, to quickly identify new employment and adjust maintenance calculations accordingly.People who are self-employed are required to keep accurate records of their business income and expenses for tax purposes. HMRC can charge penalties for inaccurate reporting where it results in tax being unpaid.Where the information available from HMRC does not give rise to a liability which accurately reflects what a customer believes a paying parent should be paying, the parent can seek a Variation. Variations allow the CMS to look at some circumstances which are not covered by the basic maintenance calculation. A variation can be requested on grounds of diversion of income. This is when the paying parent may be able to control the amount of income they receive. This includes diverting income to another person or for another purpose (including excessive pension contributions).Cases involving complex income can be investigated by the Financial Investigation Unit (FIU). This is a specialist team which can request information from financial institutions to check the accuracy of information the Child Maintenance Service is given.If paying parents fail to meet their financial obligation to their children, the CMS has a range of strong enforcement powers including deduction from earnings orders and bank accounts, removing a parent’s passport or driving license and commitment to prison. These require time to be deployed effectively; this is obviously frustrating for parents, but is necessary to ensure that, as far as possible, the right person pays the right amount without imposing an excessive burden on employers, the banks, or the court system.The government is working to introduce administrative liability orders which will replace the current requirement for the CMS to apply to the court for a liability order. Introducing a simpler administrative process will enable the CMS to take faster action against those paying parents who actively avoid their responsibilities and will get money to children more quickly.Once the system is in place, wee expect the new liability order process in the majority of cases to take around 6 weeks. Changes will mean the CMS can use its strong enforcement powers more quickly to go after those who wilfully avoid their financial obligations to their children.

What funding his Department has allocated for the maintenance and improvement of buildings and other infrastructure used by the cadet forces.

The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. As part of our plan to increase the cadets by 30% by 2030 we are looking at the cadet estate. Investment in the defence estate is long overdue and investment decisions more broadly on the defence estate will be made as part of the Defence Investment Plan.

How many veterans are currently in temporary accommodation or rough sleeping; and what progress has been made against government targets to reduce this.

There are a number of measures and metrics used to capture veteran homelessness and rough sleeping, including metrics on temporary accommodation. However, it is important to note that none of these will capture every single case and with the transient nature of homelessness, the overall picture of veteran homelessness and rough sleeping is not complete. However, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government does capture and report the number of households presenting to Local Authorities who are either experiencing or at risk of homelessness. This data includes households rough sleeping and in temporary accommodation, as well as capturing other household status. The most recent annual data release is for 2024-25 and shows that there were 2,180 veteran households at risk of or experiencing homelessness in England. This is 0.7% of all households in England and is steady with the previous year. This Government is clear that one veteran rough sleeping is one too many. That is why we have committed an additional £12 million to ensure the continuation of the Reducing Veteran Homelessness programme. Op FORTITUDE will also be extended, putting the service that has already supported over 1,000 veterans on a sustainable footing. These programmes will deliver three years of support services across the UK for veterans at risk of or experiencing homelessness. This is in addition to the Government’s National Plan to End Homelessness. The Ministry of Defence contributed to this strategy including committing to ensuring that all councils are aware of service provision in their area to support veterans at risk of homelessness.

Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to help ensure that local elections take place in Devon in May 2027.

We received final proposals from the Devon, Plymouth and Torbay invitation area on 28 November 2025. Government will consult in the new year on proposals that meet the terms of the invitation letter of 5 February 2025 before deciding which, if any, to implement.The government will work with areas to hold elections for new unitary councils as soon as possible as is the usual arrangement in the process of local government reorganisation. Our expectation is that elections will be held to new councils in May 2027 ahead of “go live” for the new structures in 2028.

Communities and Local Government, what his planned timetable is for introducing a Mayoral Combined Authority or Authorities for Devon, for Cornwall, or for Devon and Cornwall.

Devon and Torbay already benefit from devolution as a Combined County Authority and will be designated as a Foundation Strategic Authority once the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill becomes law. Further devolution in the South West will be announced in due course, following local conversations and ministerial decisions.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure patients moving between different regions of the UK are not disadvantaged in NHS waiting lists.

It is unacceptable that patients across the United Kingdom continue to wait lengthy periods for treatment, and it is imperative that the elective waiting list is a top priority for all four nations. These national standards apply across England, including the ambition that 92% of patients start treatment within 18 weeks of referral.Local systems and providers have different access policies which dictate the steps that need to happen during a provider transfer. Some providers will accept a transfer of care, while others will require a new referral from primary care. To ensure that people are seen in accordance with clinical need, all waiting lists are subject to clinical prioritisation at a local level. The National Health Services triages patients waiting for elective care, including surgeries, ensuring the order in which patients are seen reflects clinical judgement on need as well as taking into account overall wait time. These steps aim to ensure that patients moving between regions are treated equitably and that waiting times are managed consistently.Across England, patients have a right to request their local integrated care board find an alternative provider when they have been waiting, or expect to wait, over 18 weeks to begin treatment for consultant-led care.Health is predominantly a devolved issue, with each UK nation operating its own NHS system, including separate waiting lists, and associated rules and guidance. Moving between countries generally means starting a new referral process under the designated nation’s system. However, similar prioritisation processes will occur to ensure that patients are seen and treated based on clinical need.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's policies on the handling of domestic abuse cases in the family courts of the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s October 2025 report entitled Everyday Business; and whether he plans to expand the roll-out of the Pathfinder court model in the South West.

The Government welcomes the publication of the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s report “Everyday Business: Addressing domestic abuse and continuing harm through a family court review and reporting mechanism”. We are carefully considering the recommendations made in the report and will publish a full response shortly. This Government recognises the impact that family court proceedings can have on children and adult survivors of domestic abuse, which is why we are prioritising the protection of domestic abuse survivors going through the family court. The includes the expansion of the Pathfinder programme, which promotes safeguarding and supports victims of domestic abuse through multi-agency collaboration and expert domestic abuse support. Launched in Dorset and North Wales in February 2022, the Pathfinder model has since expanded to nine court areas, the most recent areas being the Black Country and Shropshire, Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent and Herefordshire and Worcestershire in November 2025. In January it will be rolled out to Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, the largest court area in the South West. This will mean around a quarter of relevant cases across England and Wales follow the model. Further expansion of the model is being considered as part of the departmental allocations process which follows the latest Spending Review, and we are unable to pre-empt the outcome of this.

What steps his Department is taking to work with the Ministry of Defence to codify civilian assistance to military authorities for home defence, as recommended in the Strategic Defence Review.

Developing plans for civilian assistance to the military in a time of conflict is a key component of the Cabinet Office's Home Defence Programme. The Cabinet Office is working closely with the MoD and other Whitehall departments to set a baseline understanding of the support requirements for defence and how positions and roles may need to be backfilled in a conflict scenario. This work is ongoing.

What steps his Department is taking with the Ministry of Defence to support a forthcoming Defence Readiness Bill, as recommended in the Strategic Defence Review.

The Cabinet Office is supporting the Ministry of Defence to determine what new legislative measures may be required to increase readiness in the event of crisis or conflict. In line with the Strategic Defence Review and its recommendation concerning a “whole of society approach”, we expect the legislation to enable the Government to better keep the UK safe in crisis or war by improving the preparedness of key industries and to support the mobilisation of wider defence capacity, including the Reserves. As the lead department, the Ministry of Defence will provide more detail in due course.

What steps his Department is taking to improve the physical security of (a) military sites and (b) other sites of strategic importance including critical national infrastructure.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement laid before the House on 27 November. Defence is taking decisive action to strengthen security across our estate, reversing years of under-investment and focusing our resources on our highest priority sites. We have delivered urgent physical enhancements, introduced advanced surveillance technology such as the Immediate Threat Mitigation Solution, and we are investing in digital transformation to modernise our approach, including MOD adoption of the Critical National Infrastructure Knowledge Base. Enhanced vigilance, updated guidance, and improved reporting have made it easier for personnel and industry partners to report incidents, while successful recruitment campaigns are increasing our policing and guard capacity. Our multi-layered security approach combines technology, workforce, and physical security to protect our people and assets. The upcoming piloting of Restricted Airspace above strategic sites and significant investment in remotely piloted aerial systems further enhance our ability to deter and respond to threats.Defence will use all available levers to take swift action wherever and whenever security is threatened and will not hesitate to pursue prosecution where criminality is suspected. Safeguarding the Defence estate remains a key priority, and we will continue to relentlessly pursue improvements to ensure we deliver the highest standards of security and resilience for our estate.

What steps his Department is taking with the Cabinet Office to codify civilian assistance to military authorities for home defence, as recommended in the Strategic Defence Review.

The Cabinet Office is leading work to develop plans for civilian assistance to the military, as a key component of the Home Defence Programme. The Cabinet Office-led programme, in which Defence plays a key role, provides layers of defence, security, and resilience planning, and coordinates civil and military preparations for some of the most serious risks we could face. Work is ongoing between the Ministry of Defence, the Cabinet Office, and other Whitehall Departments to understand the support requirements for Defence in a crisis or conflict scenario.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential severity of winter pressures on the NHS during winter 2025-2026.

We continue to monitor the impact of winter pressures on the National Health Service over the winter months.The Department is continuing to take key steps to ensure the health service is prepared for the colder months. This includes taking actions to try and reduce demand pressure on accident and emergency departments, increasing vaccination rates, and offering health checks to the most vulnerable, as well as stress-testing integrated care boards and trust winter plans to ensure they are able to meet demand and ensure patient flow.Flu is a recurring pressure that the NHS faces every winter. There is particular risk of severe illness for older people, the very young, pregnant people, and those with certain underlying health conditions. The flu vaccine remains the best form of defense against influenza, particularly for the most vulnerable, and continues to be highly effective at preventing severe disease and hospitalisation.

Whether any organisations have been removed from the list of Armed Forces Covenant signatories due to non-compliance since November 2022.

Since November 2022, two organisations have been removed from the list of Armed Forces Covenant signatories due to concerns over non-compliance. Due to confidentiality, we are unable to disclose the names of the organisations.

What steps he is taking to improve the (a) employment rights and (b) income security of self-employed workers in the healthcare sector.

The Government is committed to strengthening protections for the self-employed, benefitting those in healthcare, including a new right to a written contract, and extension of health and safety and blacklisting protections. The parental leave and pay review will consider whether support meets the needs of self-employed parents. The Non-Disclosure Agreements measure in the Employment Rights Bill includes a power to apply the measure beyond the standard definitions of employee and worker. We will also take forward the most significant legislative reforms to tackle late payments in over 25 years, helping ensure that the self-employed are paid on time.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2025 to Question 91633 on Police and Crime Commissioners: Cornwall and Devon, what assessment her Department has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) accountability of Policing and Crime Boards.

Policing and Crime Boards will have the necessary powers and levers to maintain strong local oversight of policing. They will exercise the same core governance functions and duties as Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and will be supported by an appointed Policing and Crime Lead who will provide day-to-day oversight of the force. We have been clear that is not a return to the invisible, committee-based governance under previous police authorities.Policing and Crime Boards will bring together the elected council leaders in the force area, maintaining democratic accountability for policing as well as the benefit of being better able to join up governance of policing with other local services. We are working closely with the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government and the Local Government Association on the design and implementation of these arrangements, including ensuring that there will be robust scrutiny arrangements for Policing and Crime Boards.