Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of establishing an independent parking regulator.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

A parking regulator was considered as an option; however, it was dismissed as disproportionate.

Establishing a regulator would have involved significant cost, complexity and even further delay, duplicating functions that can be delivered more efficiently through the introduction of a new government Code of Practice.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has for the provision of simulation and training infrastructure to support the New Medium Helicopter programme.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The New Medium Helicopter (NMH) contract includes the provision of four Flight Simulation Training Devices (FSTDs). These will be housed at RAF Benson, along with associated training infrastructure.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on the Type 83 design process; and whether it will be completed by 2038.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to my response to question 106653 on 27 January 2026.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of using defence bonds as a way to finance capital-intensive commitments in the Strategic Defence Review.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The majority of government borrowing is financed through the issuance of UK government bonds (known as gilts) by the UK Debt Management Office (DMO). In addition, some of the government’s financing is raised in the retail savings market through products offered by National Savings and Investments (NS&I). Finance raised via gilts or NS&I products is generally not tied to specific areas of government spending, in order to offer the best value-for-money for taxpayers.

The government keeps the introduction of new debt financing instruments under regular review.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many complaints relating to the speed of maintenance for urgent repairs were received by Amey from 23/03/26 to 06/04/26.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

This information is not held in the format requested for Amey and VIVO. Complaints from families are received and managed by Pinnacle’s National Service Centre. Amey and VIVO do not record or manage these complaints from families.

Between 23 March 2026 and 06 April 2026, Pinnacle received 16 complaints concerning the length of time taken to complete an urgent repair task.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many complaints relating to the speed of maintenance for urgent repairs were received by VIVO from 23/03/26 to 06/04/26.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

This information is not held in the format requested for Amey and VIVO. Complaints from families are received and managed by Pinnacle’s National Service Centre. Amey and VIVO do not record or manage these complaints from families.

Between 23 March 2026 and 06 April 2026, Pinnacle received 16 complaints concerning the length of time taken to complete an urgent repair task.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many complaints relating to the speed of maintenance for urgent repairs were received by Pinnacle Service Families from 23/03/26 to 06/04/26.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Between 23 March 2026 and 06 April 2026, Pinnacle received 16 complaints concerning the length of time taken to complete an urgent repair task.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason were urgent repairs requested for Service Family Accommodation from 23/03/26 to 06/04/26.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Between 23 March and 6 April 2026, a total of 1,639 requests were logged as urgent repair requests for Service Family Accommodation properties across the UK Defence estate.

A report that is detailing the breakdown of urgent repairs by their reason can be seen in the table below.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many urgent repairs were requested for Service Family Accommodation from 23/03/26 to 06/04/26.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Between 23 March and 6 April 2026, a total of 1,639 requests were logged as urgent repair requests for Service Family Accommodation properties across the UK Defence estate.

A report that is detailing the breakdown of urgent repairs by their reason can be seen in the table below.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps is her Department taking to ensure those renewing short-term medical driving licences are kept up to date with the progress of their application.

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

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) writes to drivers to advise of any action taken on their case, for example where medical information has been requested from their healthcare professional or when a reminder has been issued and no response has been received.

The DVLA is also enhancing its online service to provide clearer application progress updates via the driver and vehicles customer account. Details on how to sign up for an account can be found at www.gov.uk/driver-vehicles-account.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) falsely-flagged and (b) non-flagged vessels that have passed through the English Channel and are linked to the Russian state since July 2024.

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

I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave on 20 April 2026, to Question 125435.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) falsely-flagged and (b) non-flagged vessels have passed through the English Channel since July 2024.

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

I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave on 20 April 2026, to Question 125435.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his her Department taking to ensure all driving licence applications are processed in a timely manner.

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

Specific information on the average time to process driving licence applications where the applicant is over the age of 70 and applied online is not available. The table below shows the average number of working days taken to process non-medical driving licence applications made online between January and 14 April 2026.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s online services are the quickest and easiest way to renew a driving licence and customers should receive their driving licence within a few days following a successful online application.

However, driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated can take longer as in the interests of road safety the DVLA must be satisfied that the required medical standards are met before a licence is issued.

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. To keep up with growing customer demand and to offer a better service, the DVLA is updating its online service and has launched a new casework system which will deliver significant improvements to drivers with medical conditions. The DVLA has also launched a new digital medical services portal. These enhancements, along with the recruitment of additional staff to deal with medical applications and answer telephone calls, will deliver real improvements for customers.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what is the average time a new licence is issued to those who are over 70 and have applied online.

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

Specific information on the average time to process driving licence applications where the applicant is over the age of 70 and applied online is not available. The table below shows the average number of working days taken to process non-medical driving licence applications made online between January and 14 April 2026.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s online services are the quickest and easiest way to renew a driving licence and customers should receive their driving licence within a few days following a successful online application.

However, driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated can take longer as in the interests of road safety the DVLA must be satisfied that the required medical standards are met before a licence is issued.

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. To keep up with growing customer demand and to offer a better service, the DVLA is updating its online service and has launched a new casework system which will deliver significant improvements to drivers with medical conditions. The DVLA has also launched a new digital medical services portal. These enhancements, along with the recruitment of additional staff to deal with medical applications and answer telephone calls, will deliver real improvements for customers.

UK defence bonds

Protection and restoration of ancient woodland

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they give to the working hours of Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel when calculating pay for those staff; and what assessment they have made of whether Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel remuneration meets minimum hourly wage levels.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the noble Lady to the reply given by my hon. Friend, the Minister for Veterans and People (Louise Sandher-Jones), in the House of Commons on 3 March 2026 to the hon. Member for Lewes (James MacCleary) in response to Question 115299.

James MacCleary

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has assessed the adequacy of National Minimum Wage compliance for Royal Fleet Auxiliary roles.115299

Answer

Louise Sandher-Jones

Royal Fleet Auxillary salaries are benchmarked against comparable roles across the wider maritime industry to ensure competitiveness and reflect market conditions. Constructive pay discussions with the Maritime Trade Unions are ongoing, focused on supporting retention and delivering a modern, growing organisation capable of meeting current and future defence tasking.