Written questions by Gilmour.

If he will assess the potential merits of collecting data on (i) long-term health, (ii) employment and (iii) housing outcomes of medically discharged veterans.

Awaiting answer.

What steps he is taking to support people with learning difficulties when transitioning from children services to adult services.

Awaiting answer.

Whether the forbearance obligations on mortgage lenders under the Financial Conduct Authority's Mortgages and Home Finance: Conduct of Business sourcebook, in particular the duty to consider appropriate forbearance for borrowers in financial difficulty, apply independently of and continue beyond the six-month support options introduced under the Mortgage Charter; and what assessment the Government has made of the consistency with which those obligations are applied by lenders to borrowers who have exhausted Mortgage Charter support.

There are significant measures in place to protect vulnerable mortgage borrowers. Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules require lenders to engage individually with their customers who are struggling or who are worried about their payments to order to provide tailored forbearance. This could include a range of options; the right option will depend on the borrower’s circumstances. The Government’s Mortgage Charter, which is a voluntary industry agreement that covers 90% of the mortgage market, provides additional flexibilities to help borrowers who are up-to-date with their repayments, manage their repayments over a short period. If any borrower does not believe they have been treated fairly by their lender, they may be able to take their complaint to the independent Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), which provides a free, independent dispute resolution service. Importantly, any borrower who is concerned about making their repayment should contact their lender. Seeking support and engaging with lenders to discuss options will not affect a borrower’s credit score in any way, and earlier engagement will mean that lenders can offer more support.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a direct-payment mechanism under the Warm Homes: Local Grant scheme to enable grant funding to be paid directly to a TrustMark-registered and MCS-certified installer where a local authority confirms that it is unable to provide a nationally eligible measure through its local delivery arrangements.

Awaiting answer.

What steps he is taking to ensure that young people with symptoms of breast cancer are not dismissed by healthcare professionals because of their age.

Awaiting answer.

What steps he is taking to ensure that households deemed financially eligible under the Warm Homes Local Grant are able to receive measures where local delivery agents are unable to provide t

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the impact of recent reforms to NHS dental contracts in England on patient access to services and supporting dentists to deliver NHS care; and whether he has consider

We have introduced a package of reforms this year to address some of the pressing issues that dentists and dental teams have been experiencing. These reforms prioritise those with the greatest need, shifting care away from clinically unnecessary check-ups...

Whether she will make an assessment of the potential merits of applying a reduced or zero rate of VAT to essential fire safety equipment, such as fire extinguishers.

VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is the UK’s third largest tax, forecast to raise £180 billion in 2025/26. Tax breaks reduce the revenue available for vital public services ...

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of mobile phone coverage in rural areas; and what steps he is taking to tackle gaps in mobile and broadband connectivity in Oake in Somerset.

Our ambition is for all populated areas to have access to higher quality standalone 5G by 2030. This includes rural communities such as Oake, as well as towns and cities. In their Connected Nations Spring update (13 May 2026), Ofcom reported that as of Ja...

What recent progress has been made in delivering the School Rebuilding Programme for Tiverton High School.

The project is at pre-feasibility stage, and the department is undertaking technical work and planning appraisals. Work to date suggests that significant development of the school will be required, and that this may not be permitted by the planning author...

What steps her Department is taking to improve enforcement against dangerous riding among moped and motorcycle delivery riders.

The Government is clear that dangerous or anti-social riding by any road user, including moped and motorcycle delivery riders, is unacceptable. Those who break the law should expect robust enforcement action.A strong legislative framework is already in pl...

What plans he has to support households in off-gas-grid homes where heat pumps are not a viable option; and whether he plans to introduce grant funding for alternative low-carbon heating tech

To provide additional support for off-gas-grid households the Boiler Upgrade Scheme will begin to provide grants of £9,000 for hydronic heat pumps replacing oil or LPG boilers in off-grid homes from 21 July, in addition to the £7,500 grants that are avail...

What steps her Department is taking to update the Crossbows Act 198, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislation; and what plans she has to regulate the

Measures being brought in through the Crime and Policing Act 2026, which amend the Crossbows Act 1987, introduce stricter age verification procedures around the online sale, delivery and hire of crossbows. These measures will ensure that a crossbow, or pa...

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to address gaps in broadband connectivity in rural areas where properties are beyond effective range of fibre-to-the-cabinet infrastructure and have no confirme

As of the end of December 2025, over 1.3 million premises in hard-to-reach communities across the UK had been upgraded to gigabit-capable broadband through government-funded programmes.A further 580,000 premises are currently included in Project Gigabit c...

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of ICB-level oversight of neurology services.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services that meet the needs of their local population, including for patients with neurological conditions. NHS England continues to set national standards, service specifications, and clini...

What estimate her Department has made of the total revenue raised through VAT on electricity used to charge electric vehicles, including (a) domestic charging at the reduced 5% VAT rate and (b) public charging at th

HM Revenue and Customs does not hold information on VAT revenue on electricity used to charge electric vehicles. This is because businesses are not required to provide figures at a product level within their VAT returns, as this would impose an excessive ...

What assessment he has made of the impact of frozen state pensions on UK state pensioners residing overseas.

The UK's policy on the up-rating of the UK State Pension for recipients living overseas is a longstanding one. The UK State Pension is payable worldwide without regard to nationality and is uprated abroad where we have a legal requirement to do so. This a...

What assessment she has made of the impact of the overall tax burden on hospitality businesses.

The Government recognises the important contribution that businesses in the hospitality sector make to local communities, the high street and the wider economy across the UK. The potential impacts of changes on this sector are carefully considered as part...

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of current review and oversight mechanisms in cases where the police issue a conditional caution without a charging decision being made, particularly in ci

The use of conditional cautions is governed by a clear statutory framework and established safeguards. They are provided for under sections 22 and 23 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 and are subject to the Ministry of Justice’s Code of Practice for adult ...

Whether her Department collects data from local authorities on the reasons why Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 is applied.

The department collects data from local authorities on placement reasons for pupils educated under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 for those in local authority funded placements.This information is published annually in the ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ accredited official statistics: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2024-25.