Written questions by Dhesi.

Whether he is taking steps to increase reserves of helium within the NHS.

The Department is closely monitoring the impacts of the Middle East conflict on the medical supply chain, including on the supply of helium. We have engaged with industry and received assurance on the stability of continued helium supply through contingency planning and sourcing through multiple global routes. We will continue to monitor the supply of helium and other medical products to mitigate any potential impacts on patient care.

In each of the last 10 years, how many members of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary have died while a) undertaking training or b) while on active service.

One member of the Royal Fleet Auxillary is recorded as dying on duty by accident or injury in the past 10 years; this occurred in 2019. All on duty deaths are investigated by the appropriate body such as the Maritime Accident Investigation Branch, Defence Accident Investigation Branch, or civilian police where necessary.

What steps his Department is taking to improve access to specialist care and support for people living with motor neurone disease in Slough.

NHS England commissions the specialised elements of motor neurone disease (MND) care that patients may receive from 27 specialised neurology centres across England. Within these specialised centres, neurological multidisciplinary teams ensure that patients can access a range of health professionals and specialised treatment and support, according to their needs.  In August 2025, NHS England updated its service specification for specialised adult neurology services. It outlines a number of minimum service requirements for key specialties, including neuromuscular disorders like MND.At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with MND, including the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for Neurology and the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit.  The GIRFT Programme has produced a Further Faster handbook for neurology, which provides resources and best practice guidance to help support clinical teams go faster and further in reducing neurology waiting times, including for patients with MND.Neurology waiting times are coming down. Between December 2024 and December 2025, the average waiting time for neurology services was reduced from 16.2 to 15.2 weeks. Additionally, 57% of patients referred were seen within 18 weeks, up from 54.2% at the same point last year. We are continuing efforts to improve this, recognising this is a challenged specialty.Baroness Casey has set out that the Government must take immediate action on MND. Where someone has a severe, reasonably predictable, and life-limiting condition, it is essential that we provide rapid access to the support they need, and we will take forward immediate work to develop a fast-track process, or “passport”, that speeds up assessments and access to care for people diagnosed with MND. We will consider how best to safely implement a process that expedites assessments and gets people with MND the care and support they need more quickly.

What recent steps he has taken to reduce diagnosis times for patients with motor neurone disease.

NHS England commissions the specialised elements of motor neurone disease (MND) care that patients may receive from 27 specialised neurology centres across England. Within these specialised centres, neurological multidisciplinary teams ensure that patients can access a range of health professionals and specialised treatment and support, according to their needs.  In August 2025, NHS England updated its service specification for specialised adult neurology services. It outlines a number of minimum service requirements for key specialties, including neuromuscular disorders like MND.At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with MND, including the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for Neurology and the RightCare Progressive Neurological Conditions Toolkit.  The GIRFT Programme has produced a Further Faster handbook for neurology, which provides resources and best practice guidance to help support clinical teams go faster and further in reducing neurology waiting times, including for patients with MND.Neurology waiting times are coming down. Between December 2024 and December 2025, the average waiting time for neurology services was reduced from 16.2 to 15.2 weeks. Additionally, 57% of patients referred were seen within 18 weeks, up from 54.2% at the same point last year. We are continuing efforts to improve this, recognising this is a challenged specialty.Baroness Casey has set out that the Government must take immediate action on MND. Where someone has a severe, reasonably predictable, and life-limiting condition, it is essential that we provide rapid access to the support they need, and we will take forward immediate work to develop a fast-track process, or “passport”, that speeds up assessments and access to care for people diagnosed with MND. We will consider how best to safely implement a process that expedites assessments and gets people with MND the care and support they need more quickly.

Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with HM Treasury on the potential impact of the introduction of an overnight visitor levy on (a) the levels of domestic tourism and (b) small and medium enterprises in the tourism industry.

I am working closely with HM Treasury and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in relation to the potential impact of the introduction of a visitor levy and was pleased to join the Exchequer Secretary, Daniel Tomlinson, for a roundtable with industry leaders on this in March. My officials are also working closely with colleagues across government on this matter and have engaged with the tourism sector throughout the consultation process, including at a series of sector roundtables.The power to introduce a visitor levy will be given to local leaders who best understand their region, allowing them to tailor investment towards growing the local economy, bearing in mind its needs, including those of the tourism industry. Mayors will need to decide whether to implement a levy and, if so, they will need to consult on specific proposals. I’m sure Mayors will engage constructively with businesses and their communities to hear any concerns throughout the consultation period and beyond.

When her department last assessed the financial penalty for driving without insurance; and what assessment was made of the costs of purchasing insurance relative to the costs of paying a fine.

The Government recognises that motor insurance premiums have increased, while the fines for driving uninsured have remained the same. We want to ensure that there are the right incentives in place, and that is why, as part of our new Road Safety Strategy we are consulting on changes to the motoring offences including consideration of whether the minimum penalties for the offence of driving uninsured should be increased.

Whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on the potential merits of incorporating the Civil Nuclear Constabulary into the National Police Service.

The White Paper “From Local to National: A New Model for Policing” sets out the Government’s proposals on the National Police Service. Further details will be set out in legislation when Parliamentary time allows.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of moving all of the UK-wide Protection Command responsibilities of the Metropolitan Police into the new National Police Service.

The White Paper “From Local to National: A New Model for Policing” sets out the Government’s proposals on the National Police Service. Further details will be set out in legislation when Parliamentary time allows.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2026 to Question 122333 on Armed Forces: Workplace Pensions, by which date does he plan to conclude the work with the scheme administrator to finalise the timeline for issuing all RSSs.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to issuing all members with their RSS as quickly as possible and is working with the scheme administrator to finalise the timeline for issuing all RSSs. Once a timeline has been finalised, this will be communicated with members.The Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) continues to provide quarterly updates of progress and volumes of Remedy cases completed to date on gov.uk and in the Quarterly Digest.The next quarterly update will be published on gov.uk at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pensions-and-compensation-for-veterans#remediable-service-statement-delivery-update

What was the size of the armed forces was on (a) 24 February 2022 and (b) 6 April 2026.

As of 1 October 2025, Armed Forces intake was greater than outflow. This is the first time in four years, and this welcome trend continues in the latest data. As of 1 January 2026, compared to 12 months ago, the overall strength of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force had increased by over 1%, and the Army’s had increased by 0.2%. For all three Services, intake is increasing and outflow is reducing. Figures relating to Armed Forces strengths are published in the Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics, the most recent edition of which can be found at the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2026. The closest published editions to the dates requested are 1 April 2022 and 1 January 2026; the size of the Armed Forces on those dates were, respectively, 196,244 and 182,052.

Whether members of the Armed Forces who a) are absent without leave and b) have deserted remain eligible to receive pay, pensionable benefits, allowances, or other benefits during the period of their absence.

Armed Forces Personnel who are Absent Without Leave or who have Deserted are not eligible to receive pay, pensionable benefits, allowances, or other financial benefits during the period of their absence.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act on UK citizens who received their medical training abroad.

Under the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026, British citizens who have graduated from medical schools outside of the United Kingdom will not be prioritised for foundation training places, and graduates from a medical school in the UK will not be prioritised if they spent the majority of their time studying outside the British Islands.For specialty training places starting in 2026, we are using immigration statuses as a practical proxy to capture applicants who are most likely to have significant experience working in the health service in the UK. The effect of this is that British citizens will be prioritised.From 2027, immigration status will no longer automatically determine priority for specialty training. Instead, we will be able to make regulations to specify any additional groups who will be prioritised by reference to criteria indicating significant experience as a doctor in the health service, or by reference to immigration status.Non-prioritised graduates can still apply for postgraduate medical training and will be offered places if vacancies remain after prioritised applicants have received offers.

What is the turnover rate for each of the last 5 years in a) the whole Royal Navy and b) the Catering Services branch of the Royal Navy.

The Ministry of Defence regularly publishes outflow and voluntary outflow statistics at Service level, with the latest statistics available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2026 However, granular data, including on the turnover rate for the Royal Navy Catering Services Specialisation, is not available in the format requested. As part of wider efforts to support retention and workforce sustainability, the Royal Navy has implemented the Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body recommendation for targeted retention payments for the Royal Navy Catering Services, applications have been accepted since July 2025.

What recent steps he has taken to improve NHS capacity in Accident and Emergency departments in (a) Slough and (b) Berkshire.

Decisions on the commissioning and configuration of local National Health Services, including accident and emergency (A&E) departments and urgent treatment centres, are the responsibility of integrated care boards, working with their local NHS trusts. These organisations are best placed to determine how services should operate to meet the needs of their local populations.Within Slough and Berkshire, a range of steps have been taken over the past year to improve A&E capacity and patient flow. These include expansion of Same Day Emergency Care, improved discharge and community capacity, enhanced access to urgent care alternatives such as urgent treatment centres, and focused work on patient flow and ambulance handovers.

When the list of Ministry of Defence acronyms and abbreviations was last reviewed, and when the next update is expected to be published.

The Ministry of Defence's (MOD) terminology database, known as 'Reference Data Manager' (RDM) is maintained by a dedicated team which continuously reviews and updates entries based on both direct and indirect engagement across MOD.

How many instances of delayed hearings and trials were caused by the court having failed to book an interpreter in each of the last three years.

An ineffective trial is defined as a trial that does not proceed on the scheduled trial date and therefore requires a further listing. This may arise due to action or inaction by the prosecution, the defence, the court, or a combination of these factors.The Ministry of Justice does not hold data on the number of delayed hearings or trials specifically attributable to the court failing to book an interpreter. While published data includes ineffective trials recorded under the reason “no interpreter available”, this category covers a range of circumstances. These include situations where the supplier was unable to fulfil a booking, or where a booked interpreter cancelled at short notice and there was insufficient time to secure a replacement, as well as the court having failed to book an interpreter. The data cannot be disaggregated further to distinguish between a failure to make a booking and other interpreter related issues that may have caused the delay.

How many days of maintenance on Royal Navy vessels were lost due to nearby nesting birds in the last 12 months.

No days of maintenance on Royal Navy vessels were lost due to nearby nesting birds in the last 12 months.

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the defence posture of the Falkland Islands in the context of statements by (a) the President of Argentina on 2 April 2026 and (b) the US President in March 2026 on military support to allies.

The UK is steadfast in its support for the Falkland Islanders’ right of self-determination. As the Strategic Defence Review set out, a core role for Defence is the protection of the UK’s Overseas Territories, which includes maintaining a defensive military posture in the Falkland Islands. We review that posture regularly to ensure it is appropriately scaled to ensure the security of the Islands.

What is the a) target timeframe and b) current timeframe for the Armed Forces Pension Scheme to implement divorce pension-sharing orders.

The statutory period to implement a standard Pension Sharing Order (PSO) is four months. However, the McCloud Remedy has made pension sharing in divorce cases more complex, as the correct valuation depends on a member’s final Remedy choice for service between 2015 and 2022.While guidance exists for standard PSOs, some older, complex cases require careful handling to ensure legal compliance and avoid errors. As a result, these cases take longer to resolve than standard ones. It is not possible to provide a definitive timeline for complex PSOs, as each case is different.To ensure fairness, all cases are handled in the order they are received, with prioritisation applied only when legally required. Each case is carefully managed and reviewed to prevent errors and ensure decisions withstand external scrutiny. The Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) continues to provide quarterly updates of progress and volumes of Remedy cases completed to date on gov.uk and in the Quarterly Digest. The next quarterly update will be published on gov.uk at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pensions-and-compensation-for-veterans#remediable-service-statement-delivery-update

How many instances of delayed hearings and trials were caused by the defendant not being produced from prison as required in each of the last three years.

The figures below show the total number of reported delays to hearings and trials over the last three years where the defendant was not produced from prison as required on time. The figures reflect overall reported incidents rather than being attributed solely to the PECS supplier.2023 = 10722024 = 12722025 = 1297Evidence from recent performance reporting shows consistent sustained levels of PECS supplier delivery to court, with supplier-attributable delays remaining low relative to overall court production volumes. In 2025, overall criminal justice system delivery to court was timely in 98.19% of cases; PECS suppliers met contractual expectations by delivering prisoners to court on time in 99.91% of cases.We recognise the problems we inherited in prisoner transfer with delays occurring at prisons, en route between prison and court and at courts themselves in bringing prisoners to the dock. The Minister of State for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending and I have launched a new oversight body established to review prisoner transfer from end to end. This will monitor and drive performance improvements in prisoner transfer across the country.