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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment the Department has made of the contribution of littering from vehicles to roadside litter; and what consideration her Department has given to the adequacy of (a) the level of fines for littering offences committed from vehicles, (b) funding available to councils and National Highways for addressing roadside litter, and (c) public awareness initiatives relating to the environmental and social impacts of littering.

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

No assessment has been made of the contribution of littering from vehicles to roadside litter.

Local councils have legal powers to take enforcement action against offenders who litter from vehicles.  Anyone caught littering from a vehicle may be prosecuted in a magistrates’ court, which can lead to a criminal record and a fine of up to £2,500 on conviction. Instead of prosecuting, councils may decide to issue a fixed penalty (on-the-spot fine) of up to £500. District councils outside of London have powers to issue a civil penalty to the registered keeper of a vehicle from which litter is thrown.

To support local councils to make good use of their fixed penalty powers for littering and related offences I have laid new Statutory Guidance, “Litter enforcement powers: when and how to use them” in Parliament. Local authorities will need to have regard to this guidance when using their powers. The guidance is available here: Litter enforcement powers: when and how to use them - GOV.UK.

Funding for roadside litter removal is provided through retained penalty receipts and enforcement. National Highways funds maintenance from existing budgets, more information can be found on: Highways maintenance block: formula allocations 2026 to 2030 - GOV.UK Designated Funds - National Highways

We have been proud to support and endorse national clean-up initiatives such as the Great British Spring Clean, and the Great British Beach Clean, and we will continue to use our influence to encourage as many people and businesses as possible to participate in these types of events again.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of aligning Section 2 shotgun licensing with Section 1 firearms licensing on (a) participation in shooting sports and (b) rural businesses; whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of alternative measures to improve public safety and licensing consistency; and what evidence base informed the decision to consult on merging these licensing regimes.

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

The Government response to the 2023 firearms licensing consultation, published on 13 February 2025, included a commitment to having a public consultation on strengthening the licensing controls on shotguns to bring them more into line with the controls on other firearms in the interests of public safety. The Government response set out the reasons why the Government considers this consultation to be important, and we intend to publish this shortly.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of roadside litter due to littering from vehicles; and what consideration her Department has given to (a) the level of fines for littering offences committed from vehicles, (b) the adequacy of funding available to councils and National Highways for addressing roadside litter, and (c) the adequacy of public awareness initiatives relating to the environmental and social impacts of littering.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 18 March 2026 to PQ UIN 119681.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the findings of the Independent Review of Carer’s Allowance Overpayments published in November 2025, what assessment he has made of the proportionality and fairness of enforcement actions in cases where (a) inadvertent breaches of the earnings limit averaged only marginal amounts and (b) the total overpayment was substantially lower than the subsequent debt and penalty issued.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Government inherited a system where some busy carers, already struggling under a huge weight of caring responsibilities, found themselves with unexpected debts due to overpayments of CA. The Independent Review, undertaken by Liz Sayce, showed that some mistakes were made, and we are determined to put them right. We welcomed the report and accepted or partially accepted 38 of the 40 recommendations. The Department will now continue putting things right by reassessing cases affected because guidance on averaging irregularly fluctuating earnings between 2015 and 2025 did not accurately reflect the statutory position. We will set out more details on the reassessment exercise in the next few weeks.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has assessed the financial and social impact of PSVAR compliance on local authorities.

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

The Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 (PSVAR) set minimum accessibility requirements for buses and coaches and so support millions of disabled people, including young people and children, to make the journeys important in their lives.

In response to widespread non-compliance in the home-to-school and the rail replacement sector, the government issued exemptions to enable these essential services to continue operating whilst operators procured compliant coaches. The current Medium-Term Exemptions expire on 31st July.

In 2023 the Department undertook a Call for Evidence to understand the efficacy of PSVAR, and we continue to engage regularly with stakeholders, including local authorities, on the impact of the Regulations and how they can support accessible journeys sustainably.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed reduction in Skills Bootcamp funding on (a) regional labour markets with nationally significant infrastructure projects under active construction, with particular reference to Somerset and Hinkley Point C, and (b) the ability of local employers to meet workforce requirements for projects of strategic importance to the UK's energy security and industrial strategy.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

I refer the hon. Member for Taunton and Wellington to the answer of 26 February 2026 to Question 113869.

Blackdown Support Group's 35 year anniversary

Found: commitments made regarding the completion of the refurbishment of the Lancaster West Estate.40 Gideon Amos

Found: Library Research Briefing, 23 March 2026 In January 2026 Liberal Democrat MPs Anna Sabine and Gideon Amos