Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the press release entitled Roadmap to rebuild trust in water sector unveiled in major new report, published on 21 July 2025, what proportion of the £104 billion water infrastructure investment will be funded by (a) water companies, (b) the public purse and (c) private third-party investors.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Over the next five years water companies will spend £104 billion on investment and operation combined. This is more spending than at any previous price review.
Ofwat set out in its final determinations that £44 billion of this spending would be on new infrastructure and resources.
In the first instance, this will be provided by private investors. Ofwat has estimated that investors will provide £12.7 billion in new equity during the spending period. The remainder will be funded by water companies, in part through debt in order to spread the costs of investment over the lifetime of the new assets.
In line with the funding model for the water industry, debt and equity investors will be repaid over time through customer bills.
Business plans for all water companies have been published by Ofwat.
Water company investment plans will require no contributions from general taxation.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to raise the potential impact of Chinese companies providing military support to Russia during his upcoming trade talks with China.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
As the Foreign Secretary has previously said, we are concerned about China’s military backing for Russia, including the provision by Chinese companies of dual-use goods and support to Russia’s military. We continue to call on China to take action and prevent companies within its jurisdiction from providing military support to Russia. We will continue to engage with them at all levels to this end.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average length of time to process applications from people wanting to join the Reserves in the (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) RAF was in each year since 2020.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
I am grateful for the contribution of our Reserve Forces who provide the UK with the ability to meet the threats we face at home and overseas, with the scale, skills, agility and connection to society that it needs, in a cost-effective way.
Information on the average time to process applications to join the Reserves by Service and year, and the number of people recruited by constituency is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The single Services do not set recruitment targets by constituency.
Information on the number of applications to the Volunteer Reserves is provided in the following table:
Applications to the Volunteer Reserves, broken down by Service, From 1 April 2020 - 31 March 2025 (12 months ending each 31 March)
Service |
| ||||
2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
Naval | 2,832 | 2,393 | 2,315 | 2,715 | 3,024 |
Army | 29,273 | 23,409 | 18,271 | 24,665 | 31,454 |
Royal Air Force | 4,908 | N/A | 3,978 | 4,257 | 5,297 |
Source: Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics 1st July 2025
Note:
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) recruitment target for and (b) actual number of people recruited into the (i) Army Reserves, (ii) Maritime Reserves and (iii) RAF Reserves was by constituency in each year since 2020.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
I am grateful for the contribution of our Reserve Forces who provide the UK with the ability to meet the threats we face at home and overseas, with the scale, skills, agility and connection to society that it needs, in a cost-effective way.
Information on the average time to process applications to join the Reserves by Service and year, and the number of people recruited by constituency is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The single Services do not set recruitment targets by constituency.
Information on the number of applications to the Volunteer Reserves is provided in the following table:
Applications to the Volunteer Reserves, broken down by Service, From 1 April 2020 - 31 March 2025 (12 months ending each 31 March)
Service |
| ||||
2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
Naval | 2,832 | 2,393 | 2,315 | 2,715 | 3,024 |
Army | 29,273 | 23,409 | 18,271 | 24,665 | 31,454 |
Royal Air Force | 4,908 | N/A | 3,978 | 4,257 | 5,297 |
Source: Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics 1st July 2025
Note:
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 applications to join the Reserves for the (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) RAF were made in each year since 2020.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
I am grateful for the contribution of our Reserve Forces who provide the UK with the ability to meet the threats we face at home and overseas, with the scale, skills, agility and connection to society that it needs, in a cost-effective way.
Information on the average time to process applications to join the Reserves by Service and year, and the number of people recruited by constituency is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The single Services do not set recruitment targets by constituency.
Information on the number of applications to the Volunteer Reserves is provided in the following table:
Applications to the Volunteer Reserves, broken down by Service, From 1 April 2020 - 31 March 2025 (12 months ending each 31 March)
Service |
| ||||
2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
Naval | 2,832 | 2,393 | 2,315 | 2,715 | 3,024 |
Army | 29,273 | 23,409 | 18,271 | 24,665 | 31,454 |
Royal Air Force | 4,908 | N/A | 3,978 | 4,257 | 5,297 |
Source: Quarterly Service Personnel Statistics 1st July 2025
Note:
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of the Financial Conduct Authority’s regulatory framework in relation to insurance companies’ use of loss adjusters; and whether she plans to regulate the conduct of loss adjusters.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Whilst loss adjusters acting on behalf of insurers are not directly regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), they are typically members of professional bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters (CILA). CILA sets standards for ethical conduct, technical competence, and professional integrity through its Guide to Professional Conduct.
Insurers are ultimately responsible for ensuring that all aspects of their claims process meet the FCA’s regulatory standards. These include requirements to handle claims promptly and fairly, provide reasonable guidance to policyholders, and avoid unreasonable claim rejections. The FCA’s Consumer Duty also requires insurers to deliver good outcomes for customers throughout the claims journey.
At present, there are no plans to introduce additional regulation specifically targeting the conduct of loss adjusters. However, the FCA continues to monitor practices across the insurance sector and has robust powers to take action against regulated firms that fail to comply with its rules.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Financial Conduct Authority’s regulatory framework for insurance companies’ use of loss adjusters; and whether she plans to regulate the conduct of loss adjusters.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Whilst loss adjusters acting on behalf of insurers are not directly regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), they are typically members of professional bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters (CILA). CILA sets standards for ethical conduct, technical competence, and professional integrity through its Guide to Professional Conduct.
Insurers are ultimately responsible for ensuring that all aspects of their claims process meet the FCA’s regulatory standards. These include requirements to handle claims promptly and fairly, provide reasonable guidance to policyholders, and avoid unreasonable claim rejections. The FCA’s Consumer Duty also requires insurers to deliver good outcomes for customers throughout the claims journey.
At present, there are no plans to introduce additional regulation specifically targeting the conduct of loss adjusters. However, the FCA continues to monitor practices across the insurance sector and has robust powers to take action against regulated firms that fail to comply with its rules.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has met with representatives from Red Tractor to discuss the effectiveness of the Red Tractor assurance scheme regarding animal welfare standards.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Red Tractor assurance scheme is independent from Government. We have not met with representatives of Red Tractor to discuss the effectiveness of the Red Tractor scheme standards.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department plans to take to support (a) lower income families and (b) pensioners impacted by the energy price cap increase.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government knows that more needs to be done to support vulnerable households struggling with their energy bills. That's why we are expanding the Warm Home Discount to around an additional 2.7 million households. This means that from this winter, around 6 million low-income households will receive the £150 support to help with their energy bill costs. The Warm Home Discount regulations expire in 2026, and we will want to consider all options for future bill support beyond this point.
I have been clear with suppliers that they should do all that they can to support their customers – including vulnerable consumers – who may be struggling with their bills. I would urge any consumers who are struggling to pay their bills to speak to their supplier, local authority, or Citizens Advice who may be able to provide help and support. Your constituent can also visit the GOV.UK website, where extra cost-of-living support can be found - www.gov.uk/cost-of-living.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help increase girl’s participation in rugby.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, are able to participate in sport and physical activity.
Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign has inspired millions of women and girls to get active and anticipates that 1.6 million women will be active as a result of the campaign by 2028.
Sport England have awarded the Rugby Football Union £13,859,000 as one of their long-term system partners for the period 2022-27 to support grassroots men’s and women’s rugby union.
DCMS has provided £17.98 million of investment to support England hosting the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, including £6.77m legacy funding.
This tournament can be the springboard for women's rugby, just as the women's EUROs in 2022 was for women’s football. A record-breaking 400,000 tickets have been sold and 43,500 women and girls are now playing rugby. The legacy programme, Impact 25, is pivotal in cementing rugby as a game for all- improving facilities, reaching 850 clubs up and down the country, and supporting greater opportunities for women and girls of all ages to get involved.
We’re also launching the Women’s Sport Taskforce at the Rugby World Cup to tackle challenges and barriers facing women and girls in sport, including rugby, from grassroots to elite. Meeting actions will be published on gov.uk.