Written questions by Morton.

What steps he is taking to help support veterans into employment.

This Government is committed to ensuring that veterans have the support they need after leaving military Service, which includes securing sustainable employment which makes full use of their skills and qualifications. There is a range of tailored employment support, including the Career Transition Partnership (CTP), which is the initial point of resettlement provision for those leaving military service in search of new job opportunities, with directly provided support usually available for two years before and two years after leaving Service. For those more than two years post-service and looking to take the next step in their career, Op ASCEND connects veterans and their families with employers, supporting them into roles in strategic sectors. CTP and Op ASCEND make up the spine of continuous employment support provided by the Ministry of Defence for Service leavers and veterans. Armed Forces Champions are also based across the UK’s JobCentre Plus network to help support members of the Armed Forces community into work.

What modelling he undertook during the Spending Review process for funding for the (a) palliative and (b) end of life care sectors for (i) 2025-26, (ii) 2026-27 and (iii) 2027-28.

Department and NHS England officials used a variety of data sources, local examples, and academic research in the modelling for the palliative care and end of life care bids that were made as part of the Spending Review (SR) process.The SR announced that annual National Health Service day-to-day spending will increase by £29 billion in real terms by 2028/29 compared to 2023/24. This will take the NHS resource budget to £226 billion by 2028/29, the equivalent to a 3% average annual real terms growth rate over the SR period.At this stage, it is still too early to say how much funding will be allocated to palliative care and end of life care, which will be worked through in the coming weeks.Whilst the majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by NHS staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, also play in providing support to people at the end of life, as well as their loved ones. Integrated care boards are responsible for the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to meet the needs of their local populations, and this can include, but does not have to include, services commissioned from hospice providers.We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding for children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2025 to Question 61535 on Palliative Care: Finance, what discussions he plans to have with the hospice sector on the allocation of funding for (a) palliative and (b) end of life care.

Department and NHS England officials used a variety of data sources, local examples, and academic research in the modelling for the palliative care and end of life care bids that were made as part of the Spending Review (SR) process.The SR announced that annual National Health Service day-to-day spending will increase by £29 billion in real terms by 2028/29 compared to 2023/24. This will take the NHS resource budget to £226 billion by 2028/29, the equivalent to a 3% average annual real terms growth rate over the SR period.At this stage, it is still too early to say how much funding will be allocated to palliative care and end of life care, which will be worked through in the coming weeks.Whilst the majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by NHS staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, also play in providing support to people at the end of life, as well as their loved ones. Integrated care boards are responsible for the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to meet the needs of their local populations, and this can include, but does not have to include, services commissioned from hospice providers.We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding for children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26.

Communities and Local Government, if she will publish the regional allocation of (a) local authority housing and (b) affordable homes programme funds in the Spending Review 2025.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 2 July (HCWS771).

When he plans to publish the Defence Investment Plan.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I provided to the hon. Member for South Suffolk (James Cartlidge), on 13 June in response to Question 58671.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of a longer term settlement for children’s hospices beyond 2025-26.

The Government recognises the vital role hospices play in supporting people at the end of life alongside their families. We are determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, and hospices will have a big role to play in that shift. We are investing £100 million to improve hospices facilities, and a further £26 million for children’s hospices this year, the biggest investment in hospices in a generation. Further information on funding for future years will be provided by the Department for Health and Social Care in due course. The Spending Review published last month set multi-year departmental budgets, providing departments with greater budget certainty. NHS day-to-day spending will increase by £29 billion in real terms by 2028-29 compared to 2023-24. This is equivalent to a 3% average annual real terms growth rate over the SR period. Ministers have regular discussions with a range of stakeholders, including key palliative and end of life care and hospice stakeholders.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of Continuity of Education Allowance rates for the children of service personnel.

The Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) scheme recognises the enormous sacrifices our military families make and aims to minimise the disruption to their children’s education caused by Service commitments involving frequent moves of the family home. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) uses a weighted average of the schools most attended by CEA claimants to calculate CEA rates. This methodology ensures CEA rates are aligned to the fees paid and reflects the choice of schools made by Service personnel. Following the removal of VAT exemptions for independent schools from January 2025, the MOD recalculated rates mid-year to reflect any changes in schools’ fees. CEA rates have also been recalculated ahead of the new academic term starting September 2025. The MOD continually monitors feedback from the single Services to ensure that CEA rates balance affordability and value for money while supporting the choices made by Service personnel regarding their children’s education. Following a recent review of CEA methodology, the MOD’s Armed Forces Remuneration team concluded that current rates are effective in meeting these aims.

What discussions she had with the hospice sector ahead of publishing the Spending Review 2025.

The Government recognises the vital role hospices play in supporting people at the end of life alongside their families. We are determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, and hospices will have a big role to play in that shift. We are investing £100 million to improve hospices facilities, and a further £26 million for children’s hospices this year, the biggest investment in hospices in a generation. Further information on funding for future years will be provided by the Department for Health and Social Care in due course. The Spending Review published last month set multi-year departmental budgets, providing departments with greater budget certainty. NHS day-to-day spending will increase by £29 billion in real terms by 2028-29 compared to 2023-24. This is equivalent to a 3% average annual real terms growth rate over the SR period. Ministers have regular discussions with a range of stakeholders, including key palliative and end of life care and hospice stakeholders.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a statutory cap on levels of migration.

The Home Office’s Immigration White Paper, published on 12 May 2025, sets out proposals for reform in a wide range of areas across the immigration and asylum system, including a cap on the amount of lower skilled migration into the UK.

How many successful prosecutions there have been of people involved in people smuggling gangs since 5 July 2024.

From 5 July 2024 (to 10 July 2025) Home Office Immigration Enforcement Criminal and Financial Investigation have convicted 168 people involved in people smuggling.In many cases, someone convicted in this date range may have been arrested in a previous time-period, and in many other cases, someone arrested in this period may remain under investigation and not be charged and convicted until a later date.

Whether she plans to consult with the hospice sector prior to the Autumn Budget 2025.

The Government recognises the vital role hospices play in supporting people at the end of life alongside their families. We are determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, and hospices will have a big role to play in that shift. We are investing £100 million to improve hospices facilities, and a further £26 million for children’s hospices this year, the biggest investment in hospices in a generation. Further information on funding for future years will be provided by the Department for Health and Social Care in due course. The Spending Review published last month set multi-year departmental budgets, providing departments with greater budget certainty. NHS day-to-day spending will increase by £29 billion in real terms by 2028-29 compared to 2023-24. This is equivalent to a 3% average annual real terms growth rate over the SR period. Ministers have regular discussions with a range of stakeholders, including key palliative and end of life care and hospice stakeholders.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take with local authorities to help encourage social cohesion at a neighbourhood level.

Local Authorities are being actively supported to improve social cohesion through a range of national initiatives. This includes the recently announced communities funding for up to 350 places, incorporating the existing 75 Plan for Neighbourhoods, announced in March, and the 25 trailblazer neighbourhoods announced at Spending Review, who will receive up to £20 million each over the next decade. This funding will support improvements people can see on their doorstep, champion local leadership, foster community engagement and strengthen social cohesion.To deliver this programme of neighbourhood-level support, the government will work in partnership with local communities and local authorities to support delivery.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce the use of asylum accommodation.

The Home Office continues to work with a range of stakeholders to fulfil our statutory obligations and deliver our commitment to reduce the overall cost of asylum accommodation, including ending the use of hotels by the end of this Parliament.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department is taking steps to help ensure that developers take account of adopted neighbourhood plans.

The government remains of the view that neighbourhood plans can play an important role in the planning system.Once passed at referendum, neighbourhood plans form part of the statutory development plan for the local area which is the basis for making decisions on planning applications.The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that where a planning application conflicts with an up-to-date development plan (including any neighbourhood plans), permission should not usually be granted.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of neighbourhood planning policies in involving local communities in the planning process.

As set out in Paragraph 30 of the National Planning Policy Framework, neighbourhood planning gives communities the power to develop a shared vision for their area. Neighbourhood plans can shape, direct, and help to deliver sustainable development, by influencing local planning decisions as part of the statutory development plan.The government remains of the view that neighbourhood plans can play an important role in the planning system. Communities can continue to prepare neighbourhood plans where they consider that doing so is in their best interests.

Communities and Local Government, how much funding her Department plans to provide for brownfield remediation in the (a) 2025-26 and (b) 2026-27 financial year.

The government is making available over £1.8bn of grant funding for land and infrastructure in 2025/26. We will launch the National Housing Delivery Fund in 2026/27. Its c.£5bn of capital grant funding will be available across the four financial years from 2026/27 to 2029/30. As per the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 18 June 2025 (HCWS712), we are also intend to establish a new, permanent National Housing Bank to act as the government’s investment arm. We also intend to establish a new, permanent National Housing Bank to act as the government’s investment arm. The Bank will have an initial allocation of £16 billion of new financial capacity.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of current measures to protect public green spaces from (a) unauthorised encampments and (b) environmental damage.

The designation of land as Local Green Space through local and neighbourhood plans allows communities to identify and protect green areas of particular importance to them.Local plans are expected to identify, map and safeguard locally designated sites of importance for biodiversity, including Local Wildlife Sites.Local planning authorities already have a wide range of enforcement powers, with strong penalties for non-compliance, which they can use to tackle all types of unauthorised development. We will keep the use of these powers under review.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2025 to Question 62956 on Waste Disposal: Birmingham, when Ministers in her Department last met with the Leader of Birmingham City Council to discuss the waste collection industrial dispute.

All details of ministerial meetings with external bodies are published on gov.uk.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether landfill sites in England will receive waste from Scotland following the Scottish Government’s decision to ban landfill in that country.

I met with Gillian Martin MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy in the Scottish Government on 3rd July 2025 to discuss this important issue. The Scottish Government has assured me that they do not believe that it is acceptable for a large amount of waste to be transported from Scotland to England and they are working closely with Scottish Local Authorities to prevent this outcome. Defra officials are continuing to engage with those in the Scottish Government on potential impacts to England that may arise from implementation of the Scottish landfill ban.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Scottish Government’s decision to ban landfill in Scotland on levels of landfill in England.

I met with Gillian Martin MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy in the Scottish Government on 3rd July 2025 to discuss this important issue. The Scottish Government has assured me that they do not believe that it is acceptable for a large amount of waste to be transported from Scotland to England and they are working closely with Scottish Local Authorities to prevent this outcome. Defra officials are continuing to engage with those in the Scottish Government on potential impacts to England that may arise from implementation of the Scottish landfill ban.