Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the level of waiting times for Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Approved Driving Instructor tests; and what steps she is taking to ensure trainees can complete the qualification process within the validity period of their theory test certificates.

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

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) does not hold data on the current waiting time for an approved driving instructor (ADI) part 2 or part 3 test at any of its test centres. ADI examiners are a national team and are not assigned to specific test centres.

There are currently 36 full time equivalent driving examiners employed by the DVSA who can conduct ADI part 2 and 3 tests. DVSA has ongoing training and recruitment with its next training course starting in May for six new driving examiners, with two further courses planned later in the year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help reduce the cost of living for working parents.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

It is our ambition that families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, improving the life chances for every child, and the work choices for every parent. The evidence is clear that high quality early education and childcare boosts child development, especially for the most disadvantaged children, and makes it easier for parents to work. Through our best start in life strategy, we are ensuring that families across the country can access affordable early education and childcare that supports them to achieve and thrive.

As the government builds a stronger economy with sustainable public finances, it is continuing to invest in the early years sector, supporting the successful delivery of the entitlements. In 2026/27, we are expecting to provide over £9.5 billion for the early years entitlements, more than doubling annual public investment in the early years sector compared to 2023/24. The successful expansion of government-funded childcare for working parents is saving eligible families using their full entitlement an average of £8,000 per year.

National average funding rate increases continue to reflect forecast cost pressures on the early years sector, including the National Living Wage announced at Autumn Budget 2025, and go further, taking into account the wider workforce pressures felt by the sector since April 2025.

We want to look at how we can make government support simpler for providers and parents, improve access and increase the overall impact for children and families. We will work across government to look at how early education and childcare support provided by government works for families and children. We will be driving take up of the 15-hour entitlements to ensure that disadvantaged children are benefiting, holding local authorities to account for their take up through the Local Government Outcomes Framework to ensure those children and households that stand to benefit the most do so.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the Department’s policy is on reviewing whistleblowing reports where the individual concerned does not wish to disclose their identity.

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

The Ministry of Defence is committed to encouraging individuals to speak up and raise concerns where they believe wrongdoing has occurred or behaviour falls below expected standards.

Individuals are encouraged to disclose their identity and/or contact details to support appropriate safeguarding, assessment and investigation. However, a decision not to disclose identity or contact details does not prevent a concern from being assessed. Information relating to such cases is handled in accordance with confidentiality requirements and the Department will investigate the concern as far as is possible based on the information available.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of reducing the rate of emergency diagnosis on five-year survival rates for patients with acute myeloid leukaemia.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancers such as acute myeloid leukaemia, as early and quickly as possible to improve outcomes.

To tackle late diagnoses of acute myeloid leukaemia, the National Health Service is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.

The NHS will diagnose acute myeloid leukaemia earlier and will treat it faster. In April 2026, the Department announced its plan to open four new community diagnostic centres during 2026/27. The Department also announced a further 32 centres, which will be expanded and enhanced. The 36 centres are backed by a £237 million Government investment.

To improve survival, the National Cancer Plan for England commits to reducing the number of rare cancers diagnosed in emergency settings, such as acute myeloid leukaemia. The Department and NHS England will address this by publishing regular data on the number of these cancers diagnosed in emergency settings, as a proxy for late or ineffective diagnosis. Adding this to the basket of early diagnosis metrics will help incentivise systems and providers to focus on earlier diagnosis of blood cancers.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications of the proposed UN cybercrime treaty for (a) the UK’s child‑protection framework and (b) the implementation of legislation preventing registered sex offenders from changing identity without detection.

Answered by Natalie Fleet - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Nothing is more important than keeping children safe - inside and outside the home, and online.

The government is firmly committed to tackling all forms of child sexual exploitation and abuse and wider reforms to the child protection system to ensure children are safeguarded effectively from wider harms. The UN Cybercrime Convention references the global imperative for action on these crucial issues.

With respect to the UK’s child protection framework, our national Families First Partnership programme is rolling out reforms to Family Help, multi-agency child protection and family group decision making that will make a real difference to children and families. Government has confirmed £2.4 billion funding for the programme over the next three years.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act marks the biggest overhaul of children’s social care in a generation. It includes a duty on safeguarding partners to establish new multi-agency child protection teams in every local authority area in England. Multi-agency child protection teams will bring a clear, sharp focus to child protection concerns, identify and respond to all types of significant harm - including online - and advise and guide their local Family Help systems.

Regarding registered sex offenders, the system for managing sex offenders and those that pose a risk of sexual harm is a crucial part of preventing sexual violence and delivering our mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.

Registered sex offenders are required to notify the police of any change of name. Failure to comply with this is punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment. Through the Crime and Policing Act we are strengthening the approach by introducing measures which will enable the police to serve a notice on offenders who pose a risk in relation to name change, which requires them to seek authorisation before applying to change their name on identity documents. The measures will also require all RSOs to notify the police of an intended change of name in advance of using it.

These measures will be reinforced by operational safeguards to detect unauthorised name changes.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of DBS and PVG systems in identifying registered sex offenders who have changed their name; and what plans she has to introduce further measures to prevent offenders from obtaining a clean record under a new identity.

Answered by Natalie Fleet - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The system for managing sex offenders and those that pose a risk of sexual harm is a crucial part of preventing sexual violence and delivering the Government’s mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.

Registered sex offenders (RSOs) are required to notify the police of any change of name. Failure to comply with this is punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment. Through the Crime and Policing Act we are strengthening the approach by introducing measures which will enable the police to serve a notice on offenders who pose a risk in relation to name change, which requires them to seek authorisation before applying to change their name on identity documents. The measures will also require all RSOs to notify the police of an intended change of name in advance of using it.

These measures will be reinforced by operational safeguards to detect unauthorised name changes and operate alongside existing safeguards within the criminal record disclosure regime.

Where somebody applies for a criminal record certificate issued by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), they are required to state any names they have previously been known by on the application form and to sign a legal declaration that they have not knowingly provided false information. Failure to disclose previous names, and deliberately avoid detection of previous convictions, would lead an individual to be liable for prosecution.

The DBS mitigates the risks posed by offenders not accurately declaring a complete name history on DBS applications through a combination of algorithms and manual checking of data within DBS, local police forces and other government agencies.

Arrangements for disclosure and barring in Scotland are devolved, with the Protecting Vulnerable Groups scheme falling under the responsibility of the Scottish Government.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the implementation of legislation preventing registered sex offenders from changing identity without detection; and whether she is considering additional safeguards to improve monitoring and compliance.

Answered by Natalie Fleet - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The system for managing sex offenders and those who pose a risk of sexual harm is a crucial part of preventing sexual violence and delivering our mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.

Registered sex offenders are required to notify the police of any change of name. Failure to comply with this is punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment.Through the Crime and Policing Act we are strengthening the approach by introducing measures which will enable the police to serve a notice on offenders who pose a risk in relation to name change which requires them to seek authorisation before applying to change their name on identity documents. We are also introducing a new requirement for all RSOs to notify the police of an intended change of name in advance of using it.

These measures will be reinforced by operational safeguards to detect unauthorised name changes.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made representations with her Indian counterpart on reports of extrajudicial killings of Sikhs and human‑rights violations in Punjab, including allegations of enforced disappearances and the intimidation of Sikh families.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 9 March in response to Question 117992.

Government response to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman report on communication of changes to women’s state pension age

110th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme

Seven-year anniversary of the mixed-aged couples’ rule

78 years of the Palestinian Nakba

Mental Health Awareness Week

100th birthday of Sir David Attenborough

Mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence law

Israel’s treatment of Palestinian prisoners

Found: Liberal Democrat, Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire) (added 28 Oct 2024) 47 of 54 (87.0%) Douglas McAllister

Found: Kilmarnock and Loudoun) Mr Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat; Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire) Douglas McAllister

Found: representations: Sam Rushworth: International Men’s Day Sir Iain Duncan Smith, David Davis and Douglas McAllister

Found: Patricia Ferguson (Chair); Maureen Burke; Dave Doogan; Lillian Jones; Mr Angus MacDonald; Douglas McAllister

Found: Members in attendance were: • Patricia Ferguson MP (Chair) • Douglas McAllister MP • Susan Murray

Found: Members present: Patricia Ferguson (Chair); Dave Doogan; Lillian Jones; Mr Angus MacDonald; Douglas McAllister