Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she expects to publish further detail on the scope and purposes of the review of the marine protected area network.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We have committed in the Environment Improvement Plan to review England's Marine Protected Area network by the end of 2028. The scope of the review is to assess whether sites are in the right places with the right protections; how the network can be future-proofed to better support nature recovery and climate resilience and continue to meet our 30by30 commitment; whilst considering wider priorities including offshore wind development and fisheries. Over the last few months, we have engaged key stakeholder groups to discuss their priorities for the network and will continue to work openly with them during the review.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she expects to publish the Seabird Bycatch Action Plan for England and whether it will contain quantitative, time-bound targets for reducing bycatch.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra are continuing to develop the Seabird Bycatch Action Plan for England in collaboration with stakeholders including the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the fishing industry and academic researchers, collectively identifying actions to address seabird bycatch.

This will be an evolving document, being refined as and when new evidence is available. We aim to make actions time-bound where possible and deliverable, but action plans are complex and it is important to make sure they are practical. We are committed to publishing the action plan later this year.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support public awareness of how to access and use community defibrillators in emergency situations.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson

The Circuit national defibrillator network is independently operated by The British Heart Foundation (BHF). Information on the BHF website states that there are currently 121,449 registered defibrillators, of which 58% are accessible to the public on a 24/7 basis. Many of these defibrillators have been installed as a result of local community led action. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.bhf.org.uk

The Department has not undertaken an assessment of the geographical variation in defibrillator access. The Government’s position is that local communities are best placed to make decisions about procuring, locating, and maintaining defibrillators

Responsibility for public-facing cardiopulmonary resuscitation training primarily sits with voluntary sector organisations and is supported locally by ambulance services and partners.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of geographical variation in public access to defibrillator provision in rural communities.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson

The Circuit national defibrillator network is independently operated by The British Heart Foundation (BHF). Information on the BHF website states that there are currently 121,449 registered defibrillators, of which 58% are accessible to the public on a 24/7 basis. Many of these defibrillators have been installed as a result of local community led action. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.bhf.org.uk

The Department has not undertaken an assessment of the geographical variation in defibrillator access. The Government’s position is that local communities are best placed to make decisions about procuring, locating, and maintaining defibrillators

Responsibility for public-facing cardiopulmonary resuscitation training primarily sits with voluntary sector organisations and is supported locally by ambulance services and partners.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of publicly accessible defibrillators that are registered on The Circuit national defibrillator network.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson

The Circuit national defibrillator network is independently operated by The British Heart Foundation (BHF). Information on the BHF website states that there are currently 121,449 registered defibrillators, of which 58% are accessible to the public on a 24/7 basis. Many of these defibrillators have been installed as a result of local community led action. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.bhf.org.uk

The Department has not undertaken an assessment of the geographical variation in defibrillator access. The Government’s position is that local communities are best placed to make decisions about procuring, locating, and maintaining defibrillators

Responsibility for public-facing cardiopulmonary resuscitation training primarily sits with voluntary sector organisations and is supported locally by ambulance services and partners.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department plans to review the eligibility criteria for emergency loans or interim payments for people affected by delays in Civil Service Pension Scheme processing.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Cabinet Office awarded Capita the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme in November 2023 under the previous government. The current delays facing scheme members are entirely unacceptable, and this Government has taken firm action to resolve them through a clear recovery plan with strict delivery milestones. We have deployed additional resources to expedite priority cases, ensuring that serving and former staff receive the high standard of service they deserve. Regular progress updates remain available to members via the pension portal and Gov.uk.

Capita is under a firm mandate to restore full service delivery to standard contractual levels by the end of June 2026. We are actively exploring the use of all available commercial and contractual levers and continue to withhold milestone payments for missed transition deliverables. All options remain on the table if they fail to meet the June deadline.

Capita has issued lump sum payments to 16,179 retired members awaiting their regular pensions, whilst the scheme continues to pay approximately 730,000 existing pensioners on time. To alleviate immediate hardship, employers have issued £12.9 million in Transitional Support Loans to 2,389 members, alongside interest-free bridging loans ranging from £5,000 to £20,000. Members will fully repay these bridging loans upon receipt of their formal pension payments

Existing civil servants who have partially retired or a civil servant who retired from 1 January 2025, can contact their employer to access the transition support loan.

Pension scheme members not in the scope of this loan scheme, but who are at risk of experiencing financial hardship due to the delayed payment of their pension, should contact Capita and mention the financial impact of these delays. Capita will then prioritise resolution of these cases.

The scheme will automatically pay interest on delayed benefits to protect members from financial loss. The statutory complaints process evaluates claims for financial loss, distress, and inconvenience on a case-by-case basis and is operated in strict accordance with the standards set by the Pensions Ombudsman.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department has published on accessing financial assistance where delays have caused hardship for people awaiting Civil Service pension payments.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Cabinet Office awarded Capita the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme in November 2023 under the previous government. The current delays facing scheme members are entirely unacceptable, and this Government has taken firm action to resolve them through a clear recovery plan with strict delivery milestones. We have deployed additional resources to expedite priority cases, ensuring that serving and former staff receive the high standard of service they deserve. Regular progress updates remain available to members via the pension portal and Gov.uk.

Capita is under a firm mandate to restore full service delivery to standard contractual levels by the end of June 2026. We are actively exploring the use of all available commercial and contractual levers and continue to withhold milestone payments for missed transition deliverables. All options remain on the table if they fail to meet the June deadline.

Capita has issued lump sum payments to 16,179 retired members awaiting their regular pensions, whilst the scheme continues to pay approximately 730,000 existing pensioners on time. To alleviate immediate hardship, employers have issued £12.9 million in Transitional Support Loans to 2,389 members, alongside interest-free bridging loans ranging from £5,000 to £20,000. Members will fully repay these bridging loans upon receipt of their formal pension payments

Existing civil servants who have partially retired or a civil servant who retired from 1 January 2025, can contact their employer to access the transition support loan.

Pension scheme members not in the scope of this loan scheme, but who are at risk of experiencing financial hardship due to the delayed payment of their pension, should contact Capita and mention the financial impact of these delays. Capita will then prioritise resolution of these cases.

The scheme will automatically pay interest on delayed benefits to protect members from financial loss. The statutory complaints process evaluates claims for financial loss, distress, and inconvenience on a case-by-case basis and is operated in strict accordance with the standards set by the Pensions Ombudsman.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of delays in processing Civil Service pension cases by Capita on pension recipients.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Cabinet Office awarded Capita the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme in November 2023 under the previous government. The current delays facing scheme members are entirely unacceptable, and this Government has taken firm action to resolve them through a clear recovery plan with strict delivery milestones. We have deployed additional resources to expedite priority cases, ensuring that serving and former staff receive the high standard of service they deserve. Regular progress updates remain available to members via the pension portal and Gov.uk.

Capita is under a firm mandate to restore full service delivery to standard contractual levels by the end of June 2026. We are actively exploring the use of all available commercial and contractual levers and continue to withhold milestone payments for missed transition deliverables. All options remain on the table if they fail to meet the June deadline.

Capita has issued lump sum payments to 16,179 retired members awaiting their regular pensions, whilst the scheme continues to pay approximately 730,000 existing pensioners on time. To alleviate immediate hardship, employers have issued £12.9 million in Transitional Support Loans to 2,389 members, alongside interest-free bridging loans ranging from £5,000 to £20,000. Members will fully repay these bridging loans upon receipt of their formal pension payments

Existing civil servants who have partially retired or a civil servant who retired from 1 January 2025, can contact their employer to access the transition support loan.

Pension scheme members not in the scope of this loan scheme, but who are at risk of experiencing financial hardship due to the delayed payment of their pension, should contact Capita and mention the financial impact of these delays. Capita will then prioritise resolution of these cases.

The scheme will automatically pay interest on delayed benefits to protect members from financial loss. The statutory complaints process evaluates claims for financial loss, distress, and inconvenience on a case-by-case basis and is operated in strict accordance with the standards set by the Pensions Ombudsman.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HMRC is taking to ensure the timely processing of settlements arising from the implementation of the Independent Review of the Loan Charge.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)

The new Loan Charge Settlement Opportunity (LCSO) is currently being legislated for and represents a fair and proportionate attempt to provide a route to resolution for those who have not yet been able to settle with HMRC. In turn, this requires taxpayers to now come forward and engage with HMRC in good faith.

When the new settlement opportunity is enacted, HMRC will contact customers again, in stages, to explain what it means for them based on their specific circumstances.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what role publicly accessible defibrillators play in his Department's work on community resilience and emergency preparedness.

Answered by Samantha Dixon

My Department plays an important role in strengthening community resilience and emergency preparedness, supporting local authorities and Local Resilience Forums to plan for, respond to, and recover from emergencies.

It is the Government’s position that local communities are best placed to make decisions about public accessibility to defibrillators as they are a critical component of emergency preparedness and community resilience, they provide a vital time gap between a sudden medical emergency and the arrival of emergency medical services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that disabled people who are unable to walk outdoors, but who undertake other forms of physical activity, are able to participate in the NHS fitness rewards scheme.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson

The national movement campaign committed to in the 10-Year Health Plan, now referred to as Movement 26.2, is still in early development. We will work with a range of stakeholders to ensure that the programme is accessible to all and removes barriers to entry, including those faced by disabled people. Whilst the 'marathon a month' will be a significant feature of the campaign, there will be other elements that engage people with accessibility challenges to ensure the programme is inclusive.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will hold discussions with Natural England on the implementation of the Fursdon Review Recommendation 27 on Dartmoor commons.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government recognises the important role that Dartmoor ponies play in the landscape, biodiversity and cultural heritage of Dartmoor. There are no plans under this Government to reduce the number of Dartmoor ponies, and we are working closely with Natural England and other stakeholders to support a thriving pony population alongside the recovery of Dartmoor's protected habitats.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to collect and publish data on the impact of poor oral health and delayed or unmet dental treatment on NHS hospital costs; and whether his Department collects data on cases of sepsis associated with dental infections and the associated costs to the NHS.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) produces an annual report which analyses tooth extraction hospital episodes due to tooth decay, and other reasons, in National Health Service hospitals in England for zero to 19 year olds. OHID’s report for 2025 is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hospital-tooth-extractions-in-0-to-19-year-olds-2025

This report estimates the annual cost of these tooth extractions. The estimated cost of decay-related tooth extractions for zero to 19 year olds for 2024 to 2025 was £51.2 million. OHID continues to analyse, improve, and publish this data to estimate the impact of poor child oral health on NHS hospital costs.

The National Dental Epidemiology Programme is a series of annual oral health surveys that measure the prevalence, as a proportion of the population with the condition, and severity of tooth decay in the survey population. This provides data on oral health inequalities and unmet need. The findings include a measure of clinical signs because of advanced, untreated tooth decay and includes signs of sepsis, but do not estimate associated costs to the NHS.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of waiting times at the Laurels Gender Identity Clinic on patients.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We accept that waiting times for gender services are too long and we are determined to change that.

In line with the Government's aim to bring down waiting lists and improve the care offered to individuals being cared for in gender services, NHS England has increased the number of adult Gender Dysphoria Clinics (GDCs) in England from seven to 12, with the rollout of five new GDCs since July 2020. Both the rollout of these new clinics and the changes being made elsewhere in the service are helping to tackle long waiting times.

Furthermore, through implementation of the NHS Adult Gender Services Review that was chaired by Dr David Levy, NHS England is working to develop waiting-well pilots to provide support to patients, including mental health access and self-management resources.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of changes to the legal framework governing land held in trust for community recreation, public amenity or open space purposes on (a) the protections applying to such land and (b) the role of local town and parish councils in decisions relating to its future use.

Answered by Nesil Caliskan

Local authorities may hold public open space subject to a statutory trust or public recreation under section 10 of the Open Spaces Act 1906 and section 164 of the Public Health Act 1875.The disposal or appropriation of such land is governed by the Local Government Act 1972 (LGA 1972), which requires local authorities to comply with the statutory advertisement procedures and consider any objections before a statutory trust can be released.

The amendment to the LGA 1972 in relation to statutory trusts by the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 does not reduce those protections but it closes a gap in the law which was exposed by the Supreme Court case of R (Day) v Shropshire Council. This gap in the law had meant that if these procedures were not followed by the local authority, there would be no mechanism, whether under the LGA 1972 or otherwise, by which the statutory trust can be released.

This amendment to empower the Secretary of State to discharge the trust by way of a Statutory Trust Discharge Order (STDO) is carefully targeted, only applying where a local authority failed to comply with the advertisement requirements under the LGA 1972. In such situations and where the freeholder or long leaseholder of the land applies to the Secretary of State for the trust to be discharged, interested parties including town and parish council can make representations under the new regime. If the local authority has complied with its statutory advertising requirements, town and parish councils would have had the opportunity to make representations through the existing LGA 1972 advertising procedures.

We are also undertaking a review of the legislative protections for public recreational green spaces and have committed not to use the STDO power until that review has been completed. We will invite national representative organisations for parish and town councils to contribute their views and expertise as part of the review.

Found: Helena Dollimore Jayne Kirkham Josh Newbury Jenny Riddell-Carpenter Tim Roca Henry Tufnell Anna Gelderd

Found: govuk-table__cell">17/03/2026