Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure neighbourhood policing teams have sufficient resources to carry out preventative work to deter knife carrying in Surrey.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The latest data published on 29 January [Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables - GOV.UK] shows that there has been a 7% reduction in overall police recorded knife offences in Surrey in the last 5 years (from 499 offences in year ending March 2020 to 465 offences in year ending September 2025).

Neighbourhood policing plays a vital role in our mission to halve knife crime by helping to prevent violence to keep communities safe. The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will deliver 13,000 additional policing personnel in neighbourhood roles across England and Wales by the end of this Parliament.

As at 31 March 2025, Surrey Police had 191 full-time equivalent (FTE) Neighbourhood Policing (NHP) officers, comprising 128 FTE police officers and 64 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs). Based on their £2,588,427 allocation from the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, Surrey Police are projected to grow by 25 FTE NHP police officers in 2025-26. As at 30 September 2025, Surrey Police have grown by 11 FTE Neighbourhood Policing officers out of a delivery plan target of 25 FTE.

Every neighbourhood has named, and contactable officers dedicated to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour locally, with forces increasing patrols in town centres and other hotspots based on local demand and intelligence.

This strengthened, visible neighbourhood presence supports earlier intervention, builds community confidence, and helps reduce the risk of young people becoming involved in violence.

The Serious Violence Duty also plays an important role in preventing knife crime in Surrey. It brings key local partners together, including policing, health, education and local authorities, to prevent and reduce serious violence in a joined up, evidence-led way. The Home Office has made £546,000 available to Surrey in 2025/26 to deliver the Duty, funding a wide range of interventions that support Surrey Police in responding to knife crime among under 18s, including support for Op Shield and Surrey’s Primary Intervention Programme for youth related serious violence.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of knife-enabled crime in Surrey Police’s force area over the last five years.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The latest data published on 29 January [Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables - GOV.UK] shows that there has been a 7% reduction in overall police recorded knife offences in Surrey in the last 5 years (from 499 offences in year ending March 2020 to 465 offences in year ending September 2025).

Neighbourhood policing plays a vital role in our mission to halve knife crime by helping to prevent violence to keep communities safe. The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will deliver 13,000 additional policing personnel in neighbourhood roles across England and Wales by the end of this Parliament.

As at 31 March 2025, Surrey Police had 191 full-time equivalent (FTE) Neighbourhood Policing (NHP) officers, comprising 128 FTE police officers and 64 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs). Based on their £2,588,427 allocation from the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, Surrey Police are projected to grow by 25 FTE NHP police officers in 2025-26. As at 30 September 2025, Surrey Police have grown by 11 FTE Neighbourhood Policing officers out of a delivery plan target of 25 FTE.

Every neighbourhood has named, and contactable officers dedicated to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour locally, with forces increasing patrols in town centres and other hotspots based on local demand and intelligence.

This strengthened, visible neighbourhood presence supports earlier intervention, builds community confidence, and helps reduce the risk of young people becoming involved in violence.

The Serious Violence Duty also plays an important role in preventing knife crime in Surrey. It brings key local partners together, including policing, health, education and local authorities, to prevent and reduce serious violence in a joined up, evidence-led way. The Home Office has made £546,000 available to Surrey in 2025/26 to deliver the Duty, funding a wide range of interventions that support Surrey Police in responding to knife crime among under 18s, including support for Op Shield and Surrey’s Primary Intervention Programme for youth related serious violence.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what additional operational support has been provided to Surrey Police to respond to knife crime incidents involving under-18s.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The latest data published on 29 January [Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables - GOV.UK] shows that there has been a 7% reduction in overall police recorded knife offences in Surrey in the last 5 years (from 499 offences in year ending March 2020 to 465 offences in year ending September 2025).

Neighbourhood policing plays a vital role in our mission to halve knife crime by helping to prevent violence to keep communities safe. The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will deliver 13,000 additional policing personnel in neighbourhood roles across England and Wales by the end of this Parliament.

As at 31 March 2025, Surrey Police had 191 full-time equivalent (FTE) Neighbourhood Policing (NHP) officers, comprising 128 FTE police officers and 64 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs). Based on their £2,588,427 allocation from the Neighbourhood Policing Grant, Surrey Police are projected to grow by 25 FTE NHP police officers in 2025-26. As at 30 September 2025, Surrey Police have grown by 11 FTE Neighbourhood Policing officers out of a delivery plan target of 25 FTE.

Every neighbourhood has named, and contactable officers dedicated to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour locally, with forces increasing patrols in town centres and other hotspots based on local demand and intelligence.

This strengthened, visible neighbourhood presence supports earlier intervention, builds community confidence, and helps reduce the risk of young people becoming involved in violence.

The Serious Violence Duty also plays an important role in preventing knife crime in Surrey. It brings key local partners together, including policing, health, education and local authorities, to prevent and reduce serious violence in a joined up, evidence-led way. The Home Office has made £546,000 available to Surrey in 2025/26 to deliver the Duty, funding a wide range of interventions that support Surrey Police in responding to knife crime among under 18s, including support for Op Shield and Surrey’s Primary Intervention Programme for youth related serious violence.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the potential impact of changes to childminder tax arrangements on the delivery of funded childcare hours.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Childminders play a vital role in childcare. The Government has eased rules on working from schools and community centres and increased early years funding rates above 2023 average fees. These increases reflect increased costs, and from April 2026, local authorities must pass at least 97 per cent of funding to providers.

At Budget 2025 the Government confirmed that the standard rules for calculating income tax would apply to childminders who are mandated into Making Tax Digital (MTD). HMRC engaged with stakeholders including Coram PACEY ahead of Budget 2025. We will phase in this change between 2026 and 2028, in line with the MTD income thresholds. The threshold from April 2026 is £50,000 of qualifying income, reducing to £30,000 from April 2027 and £20,000 from April 2028. Childminders not within MTD can continue to use existing arrangements if they wish.

Childminders within MTD can continue to claim tax relief for wear and tear by deducting the actual cost of buying, repairing or replacing items. They can also deduct the cost of business expenses such as utilities, cleaning and equipment. This ensures childminders receive tax relief for all of the costs that they incur in relation to their childminding business. Childminders may be better off deducting actual costs, if deductions under the existing arrangements are lower than their actual expenses.

HMRC will publish updated guidance for childminders in early 2026. Guidance on business expenses and on MTD for Income Tax is already available on GOV.UK. The Government will closely monitor the impacts of the policy over the course of the first year.

The Chancellor discusses a range of policy matters with Ministerial colleagues.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to business rates on the hospitality sector in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since the pandemic, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties as they recover from the pandemic.

To respond to those who are seeing large increases, Government has already acted to limit increases in bills, announcing a support package worth £4.3 billion package at the Budget.

From April, every pub and live music venue will get 15% off its new business rates bill on top of the support announced at Budget and then bills will be frozen in real terms for a further two years.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment has been made of the impact of potential changes to the childminder tax agreement (BIM 52751) on the financial sustainability of childminders in Surrey.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Childminders play a vital role in childcare. The Government has eased rules on working from schools and community centres and increased early years funding rates above 2023 average fees. These increases reflect increased costs, and from April 2026, local authorities must pass at least 97 per cent of funding to providers.

At Budget 2025 the Government confirmed that the standard rules for calculating income tax would apply to childminders who are mandated into Making Tax Digital (MTD). HMRC engaged with stakeholders including Coram PACEY ahead of Budget 2025. We will phase in this change between 2026 and 2028, in line with the MTD income thresholds. The threshold from April 2026 is £50,000 of qualifying income, reducing to £30,000 from April 2027 and £20,000 from April 2028. Childminders not within MTD can continue to use existing arrangements if they wish.

Childminders within MTD can continue to claim tax relief for wear and tear by deducting the actual cost of buying, repairing or replacing items. They can also deduct the cost of business expenses such as utilities, cleaning and equipment. This ensures childminders receive tax relief for all of the costs that they incur in relation to their childminding business. Childminders may be better off deducting actual costs, if deductions under the existing arrangements are lower than their actual expenses.

HMRC will publish updated guidance for childminders in early 2026. Guidance on business expenses and on MTD for Income Tax is already available on GOV.UK. The Government will closely monitor the impacts of the policy over the course of the first year.

The Chancellor discusses a range of policy matters with Ministerial colleagues.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance is provided to Personal Independence Payment assessors on considering the effects of active medical treatment on claimants’ functional ability.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments focus on the functional impact of a claimant’s health condition, rather than diagnosis or treatment alone. At assessment, Health Professionals (HPs) gather information on any past, current and ongoing medical treatment related to conditions that impact function, including medication, therapy, monitoring, side effects and effectiveness. Where necessary to properly inform their advice, HPs should and routinely do seek additional evidence from treating health professionals or other appropriate sources.

Medical treatment is covered throughout training and guidance, and HPs routinely consider the effects of ongoing medical treatment on functional ability when advising on appropriate descriptors. This includes both positive effects, where treatment enables activities to be completed more reliably, and negative effects, such as side effects or symptom fluctuation. These factors are particularly important when applying the reliability criteria, including whether an activity can be carried out safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly, and within a reasonable time. The impact of treatment is also assessed directly within activity 3, which relates to managing therapy or monitoring a health condition.

Where symptoms fluctuate, including because of treatment variability, HPs assess functional impact over a 12-month period to reflect good and bad days and determine how descriptors apply on the majority of days. HPs also consider what medical treatment is being undertaken when advising on a recommended review date, aligning this with the point at which an individual’s functional needs could reasonably be expected to change, for example following recovery or changes to treatment. Claimants are also expected to notify the Department directly of any changes in their condition or circumstances, so that their award can be reviewed where appropriate.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how fluctuating symptoms are taken into account within Personal Independence Payment assessments.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments focus on the functional impact of a claimant’s health condition, rather than diagnosis or treatment alone. At assessment, Health Professionals (HPs) gather information on any past, current and ongoing medical treatment related to conditions that impact function, including medication, therapy, monitoring, side effects and effectiveness. Where necessary to properly inform their advice, HPs should and routinely do seek additional evidence from treating health professionals or other appropriate sources.

Medical treatment is covered throughout training and guidance, and HPs routinely consider the effects of ongoing medical treatment on functional ability when advising on appropriate descriptors. This includes both positive effects, where treatment enables activities to be completed more reliably, and negative effects, such as side effects or symptom fluctuation. These factors are particularly important when applying the reliability criteria, including whether an activity can be carried out safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly, and within a reasonable time. The impact of treatment is also assessed directly within activity 3, which relates to managing therapy or monitoring a health condition.

Where symptoms fluctuate, including because of treatment variability, HPs assess functional impact over a 12-month period to reflect good and bad days and determine how descriptors apply on the majority of days. HPs also consider what medical treatment is being undertaken when advising on a recommended review date, aligning this with the point at which an individual’s functional needs could reasonably be expected to change, for example following recovery or changes to treatment. Claimants are also expected to notify the Department directly of any changes in their condition or circumstances, so that their award can be reviewed where appropriate.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how ongoing medical treatment is taken into account within Personal Independence Payment assessments.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments focus on the functional impact of a claimant’s health condition, rather than diagnosis or treatment alone. At assessment, Health Professionals (HPs) gather information on any past, current and ongoing medical treatment related to conditions that impact function, including medication, therapy, monitoring, side effects and effectiveness. Where necessary to properly inform their advice, HPs should and routinely do seek additional evidence from treating health professionals or other appropriate sources.

Medical treatment is covered throughout training and guidance, and HPs routinely consider the effects of ongoing medical treatment on functional ability when advising on appropriate descriptors. This includes both positive effects, where treatment enables activities to be completed more reliably, and negative effects, such as side effects or symptom fluctuation. These factors are particularly important when applying the reliability criteria, including whether an activity can be carried out safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly, and within a reasonable time. The impact of treatment is also assessed directly within activity 3, which relates to managing therapy or monitoring a health condition.

Where symptoms fluctuate, including because of treatment variability, HPs assess functional impact over a 12-month period to reflect good and bad days and determine how descriptors apply on the majority of days. HPs also consider what medical treatment is being undertaken when advising on a recommended review date, aligning this with the point at which an individual’s functional needs could reasonably be expected to change, for example following recovery or changes to treatment. Claimants are also expected to notify the Department directly of any changes in their condition or circumstances, so that their award can be reviewed where appropriate.

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 earlier diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes in babies, toddlers and children presenting with symptoms in primary care in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Local health commissioners and providers in Surrey are responsible for assessing how existing clinical guidance is being applied across primary care settings.

NHS England is undertaking a review of options for supporting primary care services in the identification of acute onset Type 1 diabetes in babies and children and in doing so will engage with relevant national organisations and partners.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, we will continue to support people living with diabetes, including through the rollout of new wearable technologies such as hybrid closed loop (HCL) systems. The rollout of HCL systems is backed by £107 million in 2026/27 and has been made available to over 23,000 additional people since 2023/24.

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 adequacy of the consistency with which existing clinical guidance on Type 1 Diabetes is applied across primary care settings in Surrey.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Local health commissioners and providers in Surrey are responsible for assessing how existing clinical guidance is being applied across primary care settings.

NHS England is undertaking a review of options for supporting primary care services in the identification of acute onset Type 1 diabetes in babies and children and in doing so will engage with relevant national organisations and partners.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, we will continue to support people living with diabetes, including through the rollout of new wearable technologies such as hybrid closed loop (HCL) systems. The rollout of HCL systems is backed by £107 million in 2026/27 and has been made available to over 23,000 additional people since 2023/24.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what consideration has been given to the effects of her proposed road safety policies on people from both (a) younger and (b) older age demographics.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

In Great Britain, 17 to 24-year-olds remain one of the highest fatality risk groups, especially young men, both as car drivers and passengers. While drivers aged 17 to 24 represent a high proportion of collisions in Great Britain older car drivers are more likely to be killed or seriously injured per licence held, at least in part due to their frailty.

We know we need to get the balance right for our younger and older drivers, to support young people’s access to work, education, and social activities. and to ensure that older people can actively participate in society and retain their independence, while also keeping both younger and older drivers safe on the roads.

That is why, as part of the Road Safety Strategy, we launched consultations on the 7 January 2025 on introducing a minimum learning period for learner drivers and introducing mandatory eyesight testing for older drivers.

Government policies are developed with due regard to protected characteristics as outlined by law. To ensure this an Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) will be carried out in line with PSED throughout the policy development process. As part of the EIA, the impact of policy options on people with protected characteristics will be considered proportionately and appropriate measures will be taken where a negative impact of policy is identified.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of road safety policy on older people's (a) mobility and (b) independence.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

In Great Britain, 17 to 24-year-olds remain one of the highest fatality risk groups, especially young men, both as car drivers and passengers. While drivers aged 17 to 24 represent a high proportion of collisions in Great Britain older car drivers are more likely to be killed or seriously injured per licence held, at least in part due to their frailty.

We know we need to get the balance right for our younger and older drivers, to support young people’s access to work, education, and social activities. and to ensure that older people can actively participate in society and retain their independence, while also keeping both younger and older drivers safe on the roads.

That is why, as part of the Road Safety Strategy, we launched consultations on the 7 January 2025 on introducing a minimum learning period for learner drivers and introducing mandatory eyesight testing for older drivers.

Government policies are developed with due regard to protected characteristics as outlined by law. To ensure this an Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) will be carried out in line with PSED throughout the policy development process. As part of the EIA, the impact of policy options on people with protected characteristics will be considered proportionately and appropriate measures will be taken where a negative impact of policy is identified.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment has been made of whether accident and emergency departments have sufficient capacity to meet current levels of patient demand in Surrey Heath constituency.

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

On data on corridor care, NHS England has been working with trusts since 2024 to put in place new reporting arrangements to drive improvement and transparency. We are now reviewing the data internally and will begin publishing it shortly.

On services in Surrey Heath, residents there primarily access urgent and emergency care services at Frimley Park Hospital, which is run by the Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust within the NHS Frimley Integrated Care Board footprint.

NHS Frimley has implemented winter urgent and emergency care plans to manage increased demand, including maintaining patient flow, expanding same-day emergency care, strengthening community and primary care alternatives, and working with local authorities and community providers to support timely discharge.

We keep performance in all local systems under regular review through established daily operational oversight and escalation arrangements, with patient safety remaining the overriding priority.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate has been made of the number of patients waiting for extended periods in corridors in accident and emergency departments in Surrey Heath constituency.

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

On data on corridor care, NHS England has been working with trusts since 2024 to put in place new reporting arrangements to drive improvement and transparency. We are now reviewing the data internally and will begin publishing it shortly.

On services in Surrey Heath, residents there primarily access urgent and emergency care services at Frimley Park Hospital, which is run by the Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust within the NHS Frimley Integrated Care Board footprint.

NHS Frimley has implemented winter urgent and emergency care plans to manage increased demand, including maintaining patient flow, expanding same-day emergency care, strengthening community and primary care alternatives, and working with local authorities and community providers to support timely discharge.

We keep performance in all local systems under regular review through established daily operational oversight and escalation arrangements, with patient safety remaining the overriding priority.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of reforming local roads funding.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government has reformed local roads funding by increasing the available funding, providing greater funding certainty to local highway authorities, and introducing new performance based incentives and a rating system to ensure this investment is used effectively and in line with best practice in highways maintenance.

At the Autumn Budget, the Government confirmed a record £7.3 billion for local highway maintenance over the next four years. By providing long-term funding certainty, local highway authorities will be able to better plan ahead and move away from expensive and reactive repairs and to instead invest in proactive and preventative maintenance, which keeps roads in good condition for longer and prevents potholes from forming in the first place.

Earlier in January, the Department introduced a new traffic light rating system for local highway authorities. Under this system, all local highway authorities in England received a red, amber or green rating based on the condition of their roads, how much they spend to maintain their roads, and whether they do so using best practice. These ratings are designed to promote good asset management and encourage a preventative approach to highways maintenance. As in the 2025/26 financial year, a proportion of highways maintenance funding will continue to be allocated as incentive funding linked to authorities’ transparency and performance.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate his Department has made of ambulance handover times at accident and emergency departments in Surrey Heath constituency.

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

Surrey Heath is served by the South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAMB). The most recent National Health Service performance figures show that the average handover time in SECAMB is 18 minutes and 37 seconds. This is over two minutes faster than the same period last year.

Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 sets out clear actions to deliver improvements this winter and make services better every day, including reducing ambulance handovers to a maximum of 45 minutes, helping get more ambulances back on the road for patients, and reducing category 2 ambulance response times to 30 minutes on average. NHS England continues to monitor average hospital handover times, sharing data with regions to support focussed discussions and identify improvement actions with those trusts not achieving handovers in 45 minutes.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has made an estimate with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport of the additional costs incurred by musicians seeking to perform in the European Union due to delays in the issuance of (a) A1 forms and (b) Musical Instrument Certificates since 2021.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the importance of touring to the UK’s world‑leading music sector and continues to work closely with industry to support musicians performing in the European Union.

A1 Forms

HMRC has not made an estimate, jointly or separately with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), of any additional costs incurred by musicians as a result of delays in the issuance of A1 forms since 2021.

While musicians may use the CA3837 A1 application form, this form is also used by many other self‑employed individuals. HMRC does not record applicants’ occupations within the A1 process, and the systems used do not capture or store any information that would allow us to identify touring musicians as a distinct group. It is therefore not possible to provide data on processing times or outstanding applications specifically for musicians for any of the years requested.

HMRC recognises how important it is for customers to receive their A1 certificates promptly and is strengthening the service to support this.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average length of time taken to issue A1 forms to touring musicians was in each year since 2021.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the importance of touring to the UK’s world‑leading music sector and continues to work closely with industry to support musicians performing in the European Union.

A1 Forms

HMRC has not made an estimate, jointly or separately with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), of any additional costs incurred by musicians as a result of delays in the issuance of A1 forms since 2021.

While musicians may use the CA3837 A1 application form, this form is also used by many other self‑employed individuals. HMRC does not record applicants’ occupations within the A1 process, and the systems used do not capture or store any information that would allow us to identify touring musicians as a distinct group. It is therefore not possible to provide data on processing times or outstanding applications specifically for musicians for any of the years requested.

HMRC recognises how important it is for customers to receive their A1 certificates promptly and is strengthening the service to support this.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many A1 form applications from touring musicians were outstanding at the end of each year since 2021.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the importance of touring to the UK’s world‑leading music sector and continues to work closely with industry to support musicians performing in the European Union.

A1 Forms

HMRC has not made an estimate, jointly or separately with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), of any additional costs incurred by musicians as a result of delays in the issuance of A1 forms since 2021.

While musicians may use the CA3837 A1 application form, this form is also used by many other self‑employed individuals. HMRC does not record applicants’ occupations within the A1 process, and the systems used do not capture or store any information that would allow us to identify touring musicians as a distinct group. It is therefore not possible to provide data on processing times or outstanding applications specifically for musicians for any of the years requested.

HMRC recognises how important it is for customers to receive their A1 certificates promptly and is strengthening the service to support this.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help (a) tackle and (b) prevent organised crime networks involved in fly-tipping in (i) Surrey and (ii) Surrey Heath constituency.

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

This Government is committed to tackling waste crime from the fly-tippers who blight our towns and villages to the serious and organised crime groups who are exploiting the waste sector.  We are making policy and regulatory reforms to close loopholes exploited by criminals and have increased the Environment Agency’s (EA’s) budget for waste crime enforcement by over 50% this year to £15.6 million. The Government also works with a wide range of interested parties through the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group (NFTPG) to promote good practice, including advice on preventing fly-tipping on private land.

The EA focuses on tackling large-scale waste crime, often linked to organised criminal activity while fly-tipping is managed by local authorities. The greatest crossover with the EA and councils is where Organised Crime Groups are operating or linked to illegal or permitted waste sites, rather than fly tipping. Local EA Officers have established working relationships with Surrey Council County and district councils, including Surrey Heath. Information is routinely shared and joint site visits undertaken to ensure collective efforts across the organisations is targeted where each can have the most impact.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to improve the inspection of water infrastructure in Surrey Heath constituency.

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

Under this Government’s watch, the Environment Agency has sharply stepped up its physical inspections – carrying out more than 8,000 inspections so far in 2025/26. That is a 76% increase on last year. It is on track to complete approximately 800 inspections of Thames Water wastewater assets in the period 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, including those in the Surrey Heath constituency such as the wastewater treatment works at Chobham, Camberley, Lightwater and Pirbright.

The Drinking Water Inspectorate undertakes a range of activities to assess the security of drinking water infrastructure. Building on this, the Government’s water White Paper announced the Government will introduce powers to allow ‘No notice’ inspections on drinking water company assets to improve security and resilience.

The new single regulator will include a Chief Engineer who will be part of shifting the culture of the regulator especially as part of infrastructure supervision.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the average length of time taken to issue Musical Instrument Certificates to touring musicians was in each calendar year since 2021.

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

This data has been held since July 2023 when CITES licencing moved to a new licencing system (“Pegasus”). An annual breakdown is provided below:

The data above was extracted on 5 February 2026.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many applications for Musical Instrument Certificates from touring musicians were outstanding at the end of each calendar year since 2021.

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

This data has been held since July 2023 when CITES licencing moved to a new licencing system (“Pegasus”). A breakdown of the Musical Instrument Certificate applications being processed as of 31 December each year is provided below:

The data above was extracted on 5 February 2026.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate he has made of the number of business insolvencies in the UK road haulage sector in each of the past 20 years.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

There has been a change to industry classifications during this time period, but the statistics are broadly comparable. Estimated numbers of companies in the relevant Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes that entered insolvency in the UK between 2006 and 2025 are presented below.

Note 1: Numbers exclude bulk insolvencies, which occurred between April 2016 and early 2019 following changes to the IR35 rules and changes in VAT flat rate. If included, the number for 2017 would be 326 and the number for 2018 would be 256. For more details, see the Glossary in Company insolvencies, December 2025 - GOV.UK

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 clarity of guidance on the boundary between (a) NHS responsibilities and (b) local authority responsibilities for individuals with care and support needs.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Under Section 22 of the Care Act 2014, local authorities are generally prevented from meeting needs by providing services that the National Health Service must provide under the National Health Service Act 2006.

Local authorities are responsible for ensuring that the care and support needs of their population are met, by assessing needs, providing or arranging appropriate services, and shaping a sustainable care market. This is set out in section 5 of the Care Act 2014 and includes commissioning a variety of different providers and specialist services that provide genuine choice to meet the needs of local people and that offer quality and value for money.

Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning health services for their local population.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to mitigate the risk of landslips affecting railway infrastructure in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Network Rail, as the owner and operator of Britain’s railway infrastructure, is responsible for managing geotechnical risks and ensuring the safe and reliable operation of the network, including in Surrey and the Surrey Heath constituency. It undertakes continuous monitoring of high-risk sites, regular inspections, and targeted earthworks renewals to reduce the likelihood and impact of landslips.‑risk sites, regular inspections, and targeted earthworks renewals to reduce the likelihood and impact of landslips.

In the South East, Network Rail has recently strengthened its earthworks resilience programme, including enhanced drainage, slope stabilisation works and the use of remote monitoring technology to identify movement at an early stage. Following the extreme weather over the last year, Network Rail has also carried out additional precautionary inspections to prioritise any sites where further intervention may be required. My department maintains regular oversight of Network Rail’s national resilience programme through its funding settlements and business planning processes.

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 merits of legislating for enhanced financial oversight mechanisms for newly established unitary authorities following Local Government Reorganisation.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Local authorities are responsible for their own financial management, and Local Government Reorganisation does not change this. We monitor the financial health of councils on a regular basis using a range of data as well as through extensive direct engagement. A key element of this is making sure that the public is protected from instances of local authority failure.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to support armed forces families in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence is implementing one of the most significant reforms to welfare oversight in decades through the creation of an independent Armed Forces Commissioner, providing a direct, empowered advocate able to investigate issues from housing to behaviours.

In addition, the Armed Forces Bill will create a National Defence Housing Service and extend the Armed Forces Covenant Legal Duty across central government, local bodies and devolved governments, ensuring full consideration of Armed Forces families’ needs, including those in Surrey Heath constituency.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of plans to replace the copper wire communications network in Surrey.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government is committed to ensure that any risks arising from the industry-led migration of the analogue Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to digital Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are mitigated for all customers across the UK, including Surrey. There are 3.6 million remaining PSTN lines. Down from over 35 million PSTN lines at the network’s peak.

Communication providers and network operators signed voluntary charters in December 2023 and March 2024, committing to protect consumers during the PSTN switch-off, including the vulnerable. In November 2024, major communication providers agreed to further safeguards. These include timely and repeated communications, signing data sharing agreements with local authorities to identify telecare customers, a free engineer visit, and a battery back-up solution, if needed.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of AI on trends in the level of employment in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

This Government’s recognise that AI is transforming workplaces, demanding new skills and augmenting existing roles, however the future scale of change remains uncertain.

We are planning against a range of plausible outcomes to ensure workers continue to have access to good, meaningful employment.

To support this, we have established the AI and the Future of Work Unit, which will provide robust analysis and evidence on the impact of AI on the labour market. The Unit will coordinate action across government, ensuring our principles are delivered through practical help and support for workers and employers.

As is the case with all new technologies, AI also presents significant opportunities for the labour market. For example, our AI Growth Zones are creating over 15,000 jobs. We are also providing free AI training for all and will provide 10 million workers with essential AI skills by 2030, with the aim to make the UK the fastest adopting AI country in the G7.

Through these initiatives and others, we will drive economic opportunity and support workers to adapt and thrive in workplaces across the UK, including Surrey and Surrey Heath.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what progress her Department has made on the rollout of gigabit broadband in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

According to Ofcom’s Connected Nations 2025 report, more than 84% of premises in Surrey Heath constituency have access to a gigabit capable connection, slightly below the national average of 86%.

As part of Project Gigabit, Openreach is delivering a contract across Surrey, delivering gigabit-capable broadband to premises not included in suppliers’ commercial rollout plans. Of the approximately 1,950 premises in Surrey Heath constituency included within this contract, approximately 610 have now received access to a gigabit-capable connection.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) education and (b) training programmes support the rehabilitation of people leaving prison in Surrey.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Ministry of Justice and HMPPS are committed to improving the quality of education, skills and work provision in prisons to support rehabilitation and reduce reoffending. Heads of Education, Skills and Work support Governors to design a prison wide curriculum that provides education and training to meet the varying needs of their prison population.

The five prisons in Surrey have an education offer that includes vocational and employability programmes such as construction and rail‑track safety training, barista qualifications, digital and in‑cell learning, horticulture, peer mentoring, and other industry‑recognised courses such as an Optician’s Assistant accredited qualification that strengthen employment prospects on release. These programmes help prisoners gain the skills, confidence and qualifications they need to move into work on release, an important factor in reducing reoffending and supporting safer communities.

We are also prototyping the ‘Working Week Project’ at HMP Downview, alongside four other sites nationally. The project’s aim is to increase the time prisoners spend in purposeful work-based activity, developing their skills, as well as strengthening links with businesses in the community to improve employment prospects upon release.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment has been made of the effectiveness of financial support schemes for pupils pursuing specialist (a) musical or (b) dance training in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The government will consult shortly on an improved version of Progress 8 that balances a strong academic core with breadth and student choice. It will recognise the value of subjects, including the arts, which strengthen our economy and society, and the importance of a broad pre-16 curriculum.

The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper sets out our vision for a world-leading skills system that breaks down barriers to opportunity, meets student and employers’ needs, widens access to high quality education and training, supports innovation, research, and development, and improves people’s lives.

We plan to introduce V-Levels, which will become the only pathway for vocational qualifications at level 3 for 16-19 year olds and two clear post-16 pathways at level 2, alongside technical and academic pathways. We have launched a consultation on these measures, which will close on 12 January 2026.

The department is providing £36.5 million for the Music and Dance Scheme this academic year, with future funding to be announced in due course. The scheme provides access for all students in the UK to high quality training in music and dance, such as at the Yehudi Menuhin School in Surrey and the Royal Ballet School in Richmond upon Thames.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps are being taken to ensure that all pupils are able to pursue (a) creative or (b) vocational education pathways in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The government will consult shortly on an improved version of Progress 8 that balances a strong academic core with breadth and student choice. It will recognise the value of subjects, including the arts, which strengthen our economy and society, and the importance of a broad pre-16 curriculum.

The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper sets out our vision for a world-leading skills system that breaks down barriers to opportunity, meets student and employers’ needs, widens access to high quality education and training, supports innovation, research, and development, and improves people’s lives.

We plan to introduce V-Levels, which will become the only pathway for vocational qualifications at level 3 for 16-19 year olds and two clear post-16 pathways at level 2, alongside technical and academic pathways. We have launched a consultation on these measures, which will close on 12 January 2026.

The department is providing £36.5 million for the Music and Dance Scheme this academic year, with future funding to be announced in due course. The scheme provides access for all students in the UK to high quality training in music and dance, such as at the Yehudi Menuhin School in Surrey and the Royal Ballet School in Richmond upon Thames.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of access to (a) specialist arts or (b) vocational training for young people in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The government will consult shortly on an improved version of Progress 8 that balances a strong academic core with breadth and student choice. It will recognise the value of subjects, including the arts, which strengthen our economy and society, and the importance of a broad pre-16 curriculum.

The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper sets out our vision for a world-leading skills system that breaks down barriers to opportunity, meets student and employers’ needs, widens access to high quality education and training, supports innovation, research, and development, and improves people’s lives.

We plan to introduce V-Levels, which will become the only pathway for vocational qualifications at level 3 for 16-19 year olds and two clear post-16 pathways at level 2, alongside technical and academic pathways. We have launched a consultation on these measures, which will close on 12 January 2026.

The department is providing £36.5 million for the Music and Dance Scheme this academic year, with future funding to be announced in due course. The scheme provides access for all students in the UK to high quality training in music and dance, such as at the Yehudi Menuhin School in Surrey and the Royal Ballet School in Richmond upon Thames.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for environmental outcomes in the UK Overseas Territories of any interruption to the Darwin Plus programme.

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

Defra’s Darwin Plus programme has invested more than £64 million across nearly 400 environmental projects of benefit to the UK Overseas Territories since 2012. These include projects to increase the Territories’ resilience by responding to, mitigating and adapting to climate change and its effects on the natural environment and local communities.

An independent evaluation in 2022 found that Darwin Plus projects have reduced key threats to the Territories’ natural environments, including climate change. An impact analysis of Darwin Plus projects in 2025 has since estimated that Darwin Plus projects have:

• Improved the climate and disaster resilience of almost 10,000 people since 2022 alone; and
• Brought over 46 million hectares of land and sea under ecological management since 2013.

Project applicants for Darwin Plus Local Round 6, which closed on 29 December, will be kept informed of developments. Updates on further future funding rounds will be published on the Darwin Plus website in due course.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to continue providing dedicated environmental support to the UK Overseas Territories through the Darwin Plus programme.

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

Defra’s Darwin Plus programme has invested more than £64 million across nearly 400 environmental projects of benefit to the UK Overseas Territories since 2012. These include projects to increase the Territories’ resilience by responding to, mitigating and adapting to climate change and its effects on the natural environment and local communities.

An independent evaluation in 2022 found that Darwin Plus projects have reduced key threats to the Territories’ natural environments, including climate change. An impact analysis of Darwin Plus projects in 2025 has since estimated that Darwin Plus projects have:

• Improved the climate and disaster resilience of almost 10,000 people since 2022 alone; and
• Brought over 46 million hectares of land and sea under ecological management since 2013.

Project applicants for Darwin Plus Local Round 6, which closed on 29 December, will be kept informed of developments. Updates on further future funding rounds will be published on the Darwin Plus website in due course.

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 make it her policy to ring fence fencing funding previously allocated to the Darwin Plus programme for environmental protection projects in the UK Overseas Territories.

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

Defra’s Darwin Plus programme has invested more than £64 million across nearly 400 environmental projects of benefit to the UK Overseas Territories since 2012. These include projects to increase the Territories’ resilience by responding to, mitigating and adapting to climate change and its effects on the natural environment and local communities.

An independent evaluation in 2022 found that Darwin Plus projects have reduced key threats to the Territories’ natural environments, including climate change. An impact analysis of Darwin Plus projects in 2025 has since estimated that Darwin Plus projects have:

• Improved the climate and disaster resilience of almost 10,000 people since 2022 alone; and
• Brought over 46 million hectares of land and sea under ecological management since 2013.

Project applicants for Darwin Plus Local Round 6, which closed on 29 December, will be kept informed of developments. Updates on further future funding rounds will be published on the Darwin Plus website in due course.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the role of Darwin Plus in supporting climate resilience and reducing future environmental risks in the UK Overseas Territories.

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

Defra’s Darwin Plus programme has invested more than £64 million across nearly 400 environmental projects of benefit to the UK Overseas Territories since 2012. These include projects to increase the Territories’ resilience by responding to, mitigating and adapting to climate change and its effects on the natural environment and local communities.

An independent evaluation in 2022 found that Darwin Plus projects have reduced key threats to the Territories’ natural environments, including climate change. An impact analysis of Darwin Plus projects in 2025 has since estimated that Darwin Plus projects have:

• Improved the climate and disaster resilience of almost 10,000 people since 2022 alone; and
• Brought over 46 million hectares of land and sea under ecological management since 2013.

Project applicants for Darwin Plus Local Round 6, which closed on 29 December, will be kept informed of developments. Updates on further future funding rounds will be published on the Darwin Plus website in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of funding for road maintenance in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The local highway authority for Surrey Heath is Surrey County Council which is eligible to receive over £164 million in highway maintenance funding over the next four years as part of the Government’s record £7.3 billion investment.

To qualify for their full share of this year's £500m uplift in highways maintenance funding, local authorities had to publish transparency reports and set out how they comply with best practice. Surrey County Council complied and have unlocked the extra funding in this financial year.

In addition, in January 2026 the Department released a new traffic light rating system for local highway authorities. Under this system, all local highway authorities in England received a red, amber or green rating based on the condition of their roads, how much they spend to maintain their roads, and whether they do so using best practice. These ratings are designed to promote good asset management and encourage a preventative approach to highways maintenance. Surrey County Council received an overall amber rating, with individual scorecards showing amber for condition, green for spend and amber for best practice.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of rail services that have been returned to state ownership on the level of service in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Under public ownership, South Western Railway will be undertaking a complete redesign of its timetable, which will include reviewing services in Surrey Heath constituency. In the assessment of options, adjusting service levels to meet passenger demand will be considered, alongside other factors such as reducing the net subsidy requirement of the railway and improving operational performance.

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