Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to accelerate the issuing of medical driving licences.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The DVLA is currently experiencing an increase in both the volume and complexity of driving licence applications from people with one or more medical conditions. Unfortunately, this has led to longer waiting times for some customers. In 2024/25 the DVLA made more than 830,000 medical licensing decisions with forecasts showing that more than 925,000 medical applications and notifications will be received in 2025/26.
To keep up with growing customer demand and to offer a better service, the DVLA is updating its online service and is launching a new casework system which will deliver significant improvements to drivers with medical conditions. These enhancements, alongside the recruitment of additional staff to deal with medical applications and answer telephone calls, will deliver real improvements for customers.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of streamlining aid funding to UK suppliers of energy equipment suppliers identified by the Department of Business and Trade as capable of delivering critical aid to Ukraine.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Ukraine faces significant reconstruction needs across its energy sector following sustained Russian attacks. Over the past year, the UK has provided emergency assistance to the energy sector, including £87 million announced over the winter for grid repairs, generators, physical protection and power generation.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) continues to assess the most effective and accountable mechanisms for delivering this support. Since 2022, the majority of UK emergency energy assistance has been channelled through the Ukraine Energy Support Fund (UESF), established at the request of the Government of Ukraine to ensure donor support aligns with Ukraine's priorities through a single, coordinated mechanism. Pooling UK funding with other donors amplifies impact and enables direct support to priorities set by the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy. The FCDO judges the UESF to be cost‑effective and to follow best practice on procurement and reporting.
UK companies are encouraged to bid for UESF tenders, with government engagement to support industry awareness of procurement opportunities.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will consider implementing Magnitsky-style sanctions against the Hong Kong officials responsible for the sentencing of Kwok Yin-sang, father of exiled democracy activist and BN(O) status Anna Kwok.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We continue to keep the scope of our sanctions under close review, but it would not be appropriate to speculate on any future designations, since doing so could reduce their impact.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, in the context of the sentencing of Hong Kong democracy activist Anna Kwok's father, Kwok Yin-Sang, what steps she is taking to protect the families of BN(O) status holders from judicial harassment and political imprisonment in Hong Kong.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the response given to question 112773 on 4 March.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many illegal crossings were made over the Northern Ireland border in the last 5 years.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
It is not possible to state how many illegal crossings were made over the Northern Ireland border in the last 5 years as not all people arriving via illegal entry routes will be detected.
Operation Gull is an ongoing Home Office Immigration Enforcement intelligence led initiative that tackles Common Travel Area (CTA) immigration abuse in air and sea ports in Northern Ireland. Through Operation Gull Immigration Enforcement will be aware of those individuals who they encounter abusing the CTA.
To maintain the highest standards of accuracy, the Home Office prefers to refer to published data, as this has been subject to rigorous quality assurance under National Statistics protocols prior to publication.
Our published data is available at the following link and includes data on illegal entry to the UK : Immigration system statistics, year ending December 2025 - GOV.UK
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many aslyum claims were made in Northern Ireland in the last five years.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when the Iranian Ambassador was demarched for the attack on RAF Akrotiri.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement published on 4 March, which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/summoning-of-the-iranian-ambassador-to-the-united-kingdom-fcdo-statement--2.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of consumer protections for motorists who are unknowingly diverted from their insurers to claims management companies following road traffic accidents; and whether she has had discussions with the Financial Conduct Authority on closing regulatory gaps that allow misleading advertising and lead-generation practices in the accident management sector.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government expects motorists to be treated fairly when making insurance claims. FCA rules require that insurer’s communications with consumers, including during the claims process, are clear, fair and not misleading. The process by which customers are referred outside their primary insurer—such as to accident management companies—is already subject to FCA regulation.
The FCA, working with other regulators, has taken coordinated action against misleading advertising and poor practices by some Claims Management Companies operating in this area. Treasury Ministers meet the FCA regularly to discuss issues across the full range of its responsibilities.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will reconsider the termination of the temporary visa free access scheme for overseas seasonal sheep shearers from Australia and New Zealand.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
All Immigration Rules concessionary arrangements are temporary and subject to regular Ministerial review. The sheep shearing concession has been operating for 14 years and the sheep farming sector has made significant efforts to provide skills training within the domestic workforce.
To give sheep farmers two years to transition to new arrangements, and move away from using overseas shearers, the concession has been renewed for one more year. The concession will not be renewed in 2027 and will close for a final time on 30 June 2026.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to confirm funding levels for PE and school sport for the 2026/27 academic year.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Rutland and Stamford to the answer of 3 March 2026 to Question 115304.