We recognise the significant impact that time away from home can have on Service personnel and their families.

The Longer Separation Allowance is paid to Service personnel who are required to live or work away from their families for extended periods, such as on longer exercises or operational deployments. Payments increase with the amount of separation experienced, so those who spend longer periods away from home receive higher levels of support.

The Longer Separation Allowance is treated as earnings, similar to salary, and is therefore taxed in the same way under the UK tax system. This approach is set out in tax legislation, which determines how different types of income are treated for tax purposes.

The Government is delivering its commitment to extend the right to vote to 16-and-17-year-olds through the Representation of the People Bill. The Bill was introduced on 12 February 2026 and is scheduled for Report Stage in the Commons on 14 July 2026. The Government intends for the franchise change to take effect ahead of scheduled polls in May 2028, subject to parliamentary passage.

Alongside legislating for the change, the Government recognises the importance of equipping young people with the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to participate in democratic life. We want young people to find their voice and exercise their right to vote. By engaging voters early, we will build the foundations for long-lasting participation in our democracy.

To support this, the Government will look for the earliest opportunity to make citizenship compulsory at key stages 1 and 2, with a focus on democracy and government, as well as media literacy.

The secondary curriculum will build on that foundation, ensuring all pupils receive an essential grounding in democracy, government and law.

The Government is also working with the Electoral Commission, the devolved governments and civil society to consider what additional measures can support schools, colleges, and youth groups to deliver practical voter and civic education.

The Government is delivering its commitment to extend the right to vote to 16-and-17-year-olds through the Representation of the People Bill. The Bill was introduced on 12 February 2026 and is scheduled for Report Stage in the Commons on 14 July 2026. The Government intends for the franchise change to take effect ahead of scheduled polls in May 2028, subject to parliamentary passage.

Alongside legislating for the change, the Government recognises the importance of equipping young people with the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to participate in democratic life. We want young people to find their voice and exercise their right to vote. By engaging voters early, we will build the foundations for long-lasting participation in our democracy.

To support this, the Government will look for the earliest opportunity to make citizenship compulsory at key stages 1 and 2, with a focus on democracy and government, as well as media literacy.

The secondary curriculum will build on that foundation, ensuring all pupils receive an essential grounding in democracy, government and law.

The Government is also working with the Electoral Commission, the devolved governments and civil society to consider what additional measures can support schools, colleges, and youth groups to deliver practical voter and civic education.

The Government continue to implement those leasehold reforms that are already in statute and to progress the wider set of reforms necessary to end the feudal leasehold system for good. In respect of the latter, the King’s Speech confirmed our intention to introduce the substantive commonhold and leasehold reform Bill, which will include fixes to the small number of specific but serious flaws in the previous Government’s Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024.

My Department has no such plans.

The government continues to keep permitted development rights under review.

Ensuring that children have healthy and safe lives online is one of my top priorities. From making cyber-flashing and self-harm and suicide content the subject of priority offences under the Online Safety Act 2023 to banning nudification apps and standing up to Grok and X, I will leave no stone unturned to ensure that children are protected. Our consultation on growing up online closes next Tuesday, so there is still time to respond. I will bring forward proposals before the summer, and I intend to pass any legislation required by the end of the year.

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government.

The issues and delays facing many civil servants and pension scheme members in receiving their pension quotes are unacceptable. I want to reassure you that this Government has taken firm action to help put things right as soon as possible. We have agreed a clear recovery plan with Capita, which includes specific milestones and accountability targets for delivery. For priority cases, we have deployed additional resources and improved communication with affected colleagues, so that staff, both former and serving, receive the quality of service and support they deserve.

Existing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been enhanced and strengthened to deliver improved performance and higher penalties for failure, including financial penalties. These have already applied in respect to Capita's performance with recent issues and delays in administering the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Capita prioritised the most urgent cases and by the end of February, all death in service cases were either settled or progressed to the final stage or awaiting a member response. The same position was reached for ill health retirement applications by mid-March.

Capita has made lump sum payments to 8,979 members, the majority of whom have retired but are not yet receiving their pension, and are on track to bring these members into regular pension payments by the end of April.

To provide immediate financial support to those who may need it, arrangements are in place for interest-free bridging loans typically up to £5,000 or £10,000 in exceptional cases to most recent retirees facing payment delays. This is alongside interim lump sum payments being made to provide immediate funds to retiring members. The pension scheme continues to make monthly pension payments to approximately 730,000 existing pensioner members on time.

The latest position of the Civil Service Pension Recovery Plan Update is available at this weblink: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-pension-recovery-plan-updates

I refer the hon. member to my previous answer provided to 103061 on 12 January 2026.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is currently managing a high volume of War Pension Scheme (WPS) claims, which has resulted in longer processing times. We remain fully committed to improving performance and reducing delays in claim processing. To address these challenges, the Department has implemented a range of targeted measures:

• Flexible resource management: Teams now have the ability to reallocate resources as needed, while staff are being trained in multiple skillsets to enhance efficiency and build greater resilience across operations.

• Accelerated processing: Overtime and weekend working have been introduced to expedite the clearance of outstanding claims.

• Increased capacity: Additional administrative and caseworker staff have been recruited to strengthen processing capabilities and improve overall throughput.

The MOD places the highest priority on claims from terminally ill individuals, ensuring they are fast-tracked at every stage. Furthermore, MOD Veterans Services continues to provide dedicated support and assistance to veterans, Service personnel, and their families, ensuring they receive the help they need.

Interest rates on student loans have been consistently linked to a widely recognised and adopted measure of inflation. Interest rates are set in legislation in reference to the Retail Price Index (RPI) from the previous March and are applied annually on 1 September until 31 August.

The Office for National Statistics has undertaken a substantial programme of work over the past two years to enhance how inflation is measured and this will be carried over into student loans. The Office for Budget Responsibility has confirmed that from 2030 (at the earliest), movements in RPI will be aligned with The Consumer Prices Index as viewed here: https://obr.uk/box/the-long-run-difference-between-rpi-and-cpi-inflation/.

The Government have an ambitious programme to reform and improve how child exploitation is tackled. We are introducing a new offence of child criminal exploitation, establishing the independent inquiry into grooming gangs and the national policing operation, and expanding programmes to improve support to child victims of exploitation and trafficking.

Data for 2025 is not yet available. We expect this to be published by April 2026.

External Appointment Departure rules are in place to assess and manage this leaver risk. Employees must notify the Environment Agency (EA) of planned moves, enabling actual or perceived conflicts to be assessed and managed. During notice periods, the EA removes decision‑making powers and changes duties if actual or perceived conflicts are identified. Last year the EA strengthened its policy and now includes a provision for disclosure and conflict of interest management in senior contracts of employment.

In 2024, Severn Trent Water Limited reported 414 sewage spills through storm overflows from their permitted assets (sewage treatment works and combined sewer overflows) in the Sherwood Forest constituency.

The Government is improving public access to information on sewage discharges.

Since Event Duration Monitoring (EDM) was introduced in 2015, water companies have progressively installed monitors on storm overflows. Coverage increased over time and reached 100% of storm overflows in England by the end of 2023. The Environment Agency has published annual EDM data on storm overflow spills since 2020, providing both national statistics and site level information.

To strengthen transparency further, the Environment Agency publishes water quality and effluent data through its online Water Quality Explorer. As part of the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025, EDM data will be incorporated into this platform, enabling sewage discharge information to be accessed in a single place.

The Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 also requires water companies to install EDM monitors at 50% of emergency overflows by 2030 and at 100% by 2035. Discharges must be reported within one hour of the initial spill, with data subject to independent scrutiny by the water regulators.

Historic information prior to EDM installation is more limited and was not collected consistently. Available datasets continue to be published where they exist to support transparency and public scrutiny.

The Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 makes it a statutory requirement for all water companies to produce annual Pollution Incident Reduction Plans showing how they will meet our expectation of reducing pollution incidents by 40%.

Between 2025 and 2030, a historic amount, over £10 billion, is being invested in improving nearly 2,500 storm overflows in England, targeted at those affecting the most sensitive sites for ecological and human health.

To reduce spills from storm overflows in Sherwood Forest, Severn Trent is investing in its Storm Overflow Action Plan, which focuses on reducing rainwater entering sewers, increasing storage capacity and improving wastewater treatment.

All of the approximately 15,000 storm overflows in England are now monitored, with discharge data being published in near real time. The Environment Agency has asked companies to install new flow-to-full monitors at wastewater treatment works. to ensure that permit conditions are met during the sewage treatment process.

We have interpreted this question as asking when the Department plans to publish revised Health Building Notes (HBNs). HBNs are developed and published by the NHS England Estates division and are available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/estates/health-building-notes/

Planned updates to these HBNs are based on their prioritisation related to identified changes in policy, regulation, technology, and clinical practice, as well as available resources. We are systematically updating these and working closely with specialists in the devolved administrations to progress updates to the HBNs and other guidance.