Asked by: Dan Norris (Independent - North East Somerset and Hanham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of mobile signal coverage on GWR trains.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has not made a specific assessment of the adequacy of mobile signal coverage on Great Western Railway (GWR) services. However, the Department has secured funding to deploy low earth orbit satellite technology on mainline trains which will significantly improve the on-train Wi-Fi for rail passengers, this will include long-distance services across GWR. Pending final Treasury approval, Officials at the Department for Transport Operator (DFTO) are planning to begin the procurement and design work for this in the second half of this year. DFTO is also repeating an exercise to capture the measurement of 4G and 5G signal strength across the rail corridor and expects the full data to be available early in the new year. This will be published online.
The Peninsula Taskforce and GWR successfully trialled enhanced Wi-Fi on an Intercity Express train, using low earth orbit satellite technology. The trial demonstrated significantly stronger Wi-Fi connectivity, higher data capacity and received positive feedback from passengers.
Network Rail’s Project Reach will also address mobile coverage in 57 tunnels across the rail network.
Asked by: Dan Norris (Independent - North East Somerset and Hanham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of persistent absence in schools in South Gloucestershire and Bath and North East Somerset.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Absence is a key barrier to opportunity. For children to achieve and thrive they need to be in school. The department is committed to improving the attendance of all pupils. Thanks to the efforts of the sector, we saw record improvements in 2024/25 with around 150,000 fewer children persistently absent nationally.
The department publishes figures from the school census on pupil absence in England. The latest data covers the 2024/25 academic year and is published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-absence-in-schools-in-england/2024-25.
Published data for the percentage of pupils classified as persistent absentees (defined as missing 10% or more of possible sessions) in schools in South Gloucestershire and Bath and North East Somerset since the 2018/19 academic year is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/87184f2c-0671-4abc-c9f4-08dee0eeb30d.
Full year absence statistics for 2019/20 were not published due to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Asked by: Dan Norris (Independent - North East Somerset and Hanham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many fixed penalty notices for school absences were issued in Bath, North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire in the last academic year.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
For unauthorised school absences during the 2024/25 academic year, Bath and North East Somerset issued 1,014 penalty notices and South Gloucestershire issued 2,043 penalty notices.
A new national framework for penalty notices came into effect from August 2024 designed to embed our support-first approach and improve consistency and fairness across the country.
Our statutory guidance on attendance makes clear that legal intervention, including prosecution, should only be considered where support has been exhausted, not engaged with or, in the cases of term-time holidays, is not appropriate. The guidance sets out clear expectations on how schools, local authorities and wider services should work together to support attendance for all children.
Asked by: Dan Norris (Independent - North East Somerset and Hanham)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits geothermal heat systems which use the water in flooded former coalmines.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
I refer the hon Member to the answer given to him on 20th October 2025 to Question UIN 7797.
Asked by: Dan Norris (Independent - North East Somerset and Hanham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on how many occasions the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has withdrawn driving licences after receiving notification that the licence holder was medically unfit to drive in the last 5 years.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
It is vital for road safety that, when the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is made aware of a condition that could affect an individual’s ability to drive safely, they ensure that the required medical standards are met before a licence is issued.
The table below shows the number of Group 1 (car and motorcycle) and Group 2 (bus and lorry) driving licences that were revoked or an application refused between 2021 and 2025. Driving licences can be revoked or an application refused following a medical investigation carried out when the DVLA is informed of a medical condition by either the licence holder or a third party. A licence holder who had both Group 1 and Group 2 driving entitlements revoked or refused will be included in the figures for both groups.
Year | Group 1 | Group 2 |
2021 | 35,917 | 6,575 |
2022 | 55,974 | 9,925 |
2023 | 59,791 | 8,537 |
2024 | 59,162 | 8,721 |
2025 | 48,937 | 7,070 |
Please note that the figures for 2025 are currently incomplete. The figure in the table above reflects those cases that can currently be accurately categorised as revoked or refused in 2025.
Asked by: Dan Norris (Independent - North East Somerset and Hanham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what demographic data her Department plans to collect on the number of Respect Orders issued.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Through the Crime and Policing Act 2026, The Home Office is introducing a mandatory anti-social behaviour (ASB) data reporting duty to improve our understanding of ASB and how it is being tackled locally, which will include use of Respect Orders. The first set of regulations will require local authorities to report data on ASB incident volumes, the use of ASB powers and interventions, and ASB Case Review numbers and outcomes.
The Home Office is currently developing arrangements for the monitoring and evaluation of Respect Orders, including the data that will be collected. Further information will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Dan Norris (Independent - North East Somerset and Hanham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of heritage railways on the economy.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government does not hold data on the economic impact of heritage railways on the UK economy.
DCMS official statistics currently uses the Standard Industry Classification (SIC) code 91.03 Operation of historic sites and similar visitor attractions as a narrow proxy for the heritage sector. In 2024, the SIC code Operation of historic sites and similar visitor attractions contributed an estimated 10,000 jobs with a Gross Value Added estimated at £0.8 billion.
Historic England, Government statutory advisors on the historic environment, estimated England's heritage sector overall contributed £15.3 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA) to the UK economy in 2022, with a total estimated employment of 201,000 workers.
The Heritage Railway Association, the largest heritage rail trade body, values the economic contribution of the UK's heritage rail sector at roughly £600 million annually. This sum is generated through tourism, local business spending, and the support of thousands of jobs and volunteers across the country.
Asked by: Dan Norris (Independent - North East Somerset and Hanham)
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 trends in the level of digital exclusion among older people.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Government’s ambition is simple: everyone, whatever their circumstances, should be able to get connected and get online, safely and with confidence
In 2025, 20% of those aged 75+ do not have home internet access compared to 5% across all age groups. Those aged 75+ are also less likely to have the foundational level of digital skills (54%) compared to the general population (85%). This has however improved by 23 percentage points since 2022, when only 31% of those aged 75+ had foundational level digital skills.
In the year since the Digital Inclusion Action Plan was published in 2025, over a million people have been connected or supported to get online, more than 22,000 people have received a free device, and communities across the UK have benefited from the £11.9 million Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund. This includes Age UK’s Digital Champion Programme providing digital skills and devices across England.
Asked by: Dan Norris (Independent - North East Somerset and Hanham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many responses to the Timms Review have been received from people living in the South West.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The Timms Review Call for Evidence was open to anyone who wished to contribute and received over 38,000 responses. The response form did not ask participants to provide information about their geographic location. Therefore, we do not hold the data requested in relation to the Call for Evidence.
While we cannot provide a figure on participation from different regions, the Review encouraged responses from disabled people and representative organisations across the United Kingdom.
Asked by: Dan Norris (Independent - North East Somerset and Hanham)
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 adequacy of local infrastructure to support new housing developments like those at the former Grange school site in Warmley, and what guidance is given to local councils on assessing infrastructure impact when approving developments of this scale.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 112724 on 3 March 2026.
The consultation on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which can be found on gov.uk here, closed on 10 March 2026. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in the summer.