Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of Government funding for Local Welfare Assistance.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local welfare assistance funding is delivered through the Local Government Finance Settlement. The majority of funding in the local government finance settlement is unringfenced recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many cables his Department has recorded as damaged or suspected of being damaged by Russian ships in (a) the North Sea, (b) the English Channel, (c) the Irish Sea and (d) the North Atlantic in each of the last 24 months.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Accidental cable damage from industrial maritime activity is part of the cable operating ecosystem. There are 65 cables systems connecting to the UK, with 45 of those cables connecting internationally. The large continental shelf and busy maritime sector in the UK mean there are a high number of accidental breaks each year, 12-15 mainly caused by industrial fishing and some from anchor drags or drops, and a small amount by underwater seismic activity. In the UK we have an exemption from permitting for emergency repairs meaning we have the fastest repair time in the world at 5-7 days. The cables provide redundancy for each other as data is diverted along other cables while a cable waits for repair.
We are aware Supporting cable repair industry and working with international partners to deter this activity through initiatives such as the Joint Declaration on cooperation to protect energy and telecommunications infrastructure in the North Sea, NATO’s Baltic Sentry and the Joint Expeditionary Forces Nordic Warden.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of (a) Challenger 2, (b) Warrior, (c) Boxer and (d) protected patrol vehicles were (i) fit for service and (ii) not fit for service in each year since 2015.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We do not routinely disclose a breakdown of total capability fleets in the interests of security and operational effectiveness.
However, the total fleet figures of Challenger 2, Warrior and Protected Mobility Vehicles since 2016 can be found in the annual UK Armed Forces Equipment and Formations statistics. This is accessible here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-armed-forces-equipment-and-formations.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what processes his Department undertook in its impact assessment into proposals for the Care Quality Commission to regulate sporting and cultural events; and if he will publish that work.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Manchester Arena Inquiry Volume Two report recommended that the Government make changes to the law to enable the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to regulate event healthcare at sporting venues and gymnasiums and at temporary sporting and cultural events, to ensure public safety.
The Government has considered the impacts of this change, and a public consultation allowed stakeholders to provide information on the potential effects. A de minimis impact assessment was developed, which looked at a range of options and considered the impact on the event sector and event healthcare providers. The assessment includes costs, benefits, and risks.
An updated de minimis assessment will be published before the Statutory Instrument is laid before Parliament. This will outline the direct cost to business. The Government and the CQC continue to engage with stakeholders within the health, sports, and events sector regarding the changes in the regulations and their impact.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many incidents of Russian military activity in (a) the North Sea, (b) the English Channel, (c) the Irish Sea and (d) the North Atlantic his Department has recorded per month for the last 24 months.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Royal Navy continuously monitors UK waters and stands ready to respond to the presence of Russian vessels. For reasons of national security, we cannot disclose the specific number of incidents of Russian military activity recorded during any given period.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Professor Alice Sullivan's review entitled Independent review of data, statistics and research on sex and gender, published on 19 March 2025, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to establish a new non-departmental public body to (a) standardise and (b) improve the effectiveness of the work of the (i) Council of Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Associations and (b) the Reserve Forces and Cadets Associations.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The 2019 Review of the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Associations (RFCAs) was published on 24 March 2020 and placed in the Library of the House. The Review recommended that the Council of Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Associations (CRFCA) and the 13 RFCAs should be merged into a single Executive Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB), with a National Office and a set of regional organisations. The review can be found at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-the-reserve-forces-cadets-associations-2019.
The NDPB implementation work was paused in March 2023 due to it failing to obtain a legislative slot in the last Parliament, but this work has now re-commenced, and we are currently progressing work on the required legislation.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of reforming mathematical education to emphasise (a) data, (b) technology and (c) computing.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The Review is looking at all curriculum subjects, including mathematics. It is committed to ensuring the curriculum sufficiently prepares children and young people for future life and work, building the knowledge, skills and attributes to thrive.
The Review Group has now published an interim report, which sets out its findings and confirms the key areas for further work. The report can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/curriculum-and-assessment-review-interim-report. The report highlights the need for the curriculum to “respond to social and technological change”. The Review Group’s next steps include considering how best to equip young people with “the essential knowledge and skills which will enable them to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing and artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled world”.
The government will respond to the final recommendations in autumn.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed reductions to the level of the Personal Independence Payment on people in Epsom and Ewell constituency.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No estimate has yet been made.
Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’.
A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) type 23 Duke Class, (b) type 31 Inspiration Class and (c) type 26 City Class frigates the UK navy has; how many of each of those types are currently not fit for purpose; and for each frigate currently not fit for purpose, how many days each ship has been out of service.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Royal Navy operates eight Type 23 Frigates, and as of 2 April 2025, six Type 23 frigates are at readiness and available for operations. Each ship follows a normal operating cycle, going through different readiness levels based on their schedules and maintenance.
In addition to the eight operational Type 23 frigates, the Royal Navy has three that are in the process of being decommissioned. It has been 321 days since the decision to retire HMS Westminster and HMS Argyll, and 133 days for HMS Northumberland.
The retirement announcements are part of the UK’s plan to modernise its surface fleet. The Royal Navy will replace the Type 23 Frigates with new Type 26 and Type 31 Frigates. All eight world-class Type 26 ships are scheduled to enter service commencing from 2029, with all five Type 31 ships expected to be operational by the early 2030s.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to protect British supply chains from Russian interference and sabotage.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We closely monitor the impact of global conflicts including the extent of Russian content in our critical programmes and the supply chains that support them, with the aim of identifying and managing emergent issues.
The Department is actively engaged in a range of activity to de-risk critical defence supply chain vulnerabilities to enable us to make informed decisions around if and how to intervene. We work collaboratively with industry to mitigate risks via initiatives such as the recent joint Ministry of Defence (MOD)-industry wargaming event. The MOD also continues to work alongside the National Protective Security Authority and with allies to ensure our industry colleagues are aware of the threats posed by Russia, and the National Security and Investment Act 2021 is used to address national security risks posed by malign Russian ownership where appropriate.