Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of year-round fireworks displays by commercial venues (a) in and (b) near residential areas on social well-being.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of year-round fireworks displays by commercial venues in and near residential areas on social well-being.

The Government recently launched new guidance for community groups and event organisers on running safe and considerate fireworks displays covering fireworks safety, the gathering of crowds and the impact on the local community. This supplements existing guidance from Government and other organisations that is available to help people to use fireworks safely.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what independent support has been put in place to support victims and survivors of child sexual exploitation ahead of the national inquiry.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

We recognise the devastating impacts that child sexual exploitation and abuse can have on victims and survivors and are committed to ensuring that specialist support is provided to help victims and survivors rebuild and move forward with their lives.

It will be up to the national inquiry, once established, to establish its own processes to engage and support victims and survivors.

In the meantime, victims and survivors participating in the inquiry set-up engagement process, coordinated by the National Working Group (NWG) charity, are able to access support, including therapeutic support (via the NWG).

We are also providing £2.59 million in 2025-26 for the Support for Victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse Fund, providing a range of support services with national reach.

The Home Office also launched the invitation-to-tender for the national Independent Child Trafficking Guardianship (ICTG) Service contract in September 2025, which will expand coverage from two thirds of local authorities in England and Wales to all local authorities in England and Wales.

The service provides specialist modern slavery and child exploitation expertise to ensure child victims are protected from further harm, prevent possible repeat victimisation or re-trafficking, and promote the child’s recovery. It supports child victims of sexual exploitation and grooming who have been referred into the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), and the professionals working with them.

The Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC) provides specialist support to adult victims of exploitation and trafficking who have been identified through the NRM in England and Wales. This includes adults who experienced sexual exploitation as children.

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 merits of co-operative public service broadcasting in the UK.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Ahead of the upcoming Charter Review, the Secretary of State has said that, to maintain the BBC as an institution, it must be accountable to those who fund it - the British people. The Government intends to keep an open mind about how the BBC can achieve that aim.

The Government has not made any wider assessment of the merits of co-operatives to the UK’s system of public service broadcasting.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed Metrolink tram extension in Greater Manchester; and if it plans to fund further (a) feasibility and (b) business case studies for new routes in and around Oldham.

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

The responsibility for local transport in Greater Manchester, including the operation, development and future enhancement of the Metrolink network is a matter for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the Mayor.

Between 2022-23 and 2026-27, we are providing £1.07bn of City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement funding to Greater Manchester to deliver transformational change to Greater Manchester’s transport infrastructure. Beyond that, we have confirmed a £2.5bn Transport for City Regions settlement for Greater Manchester from 2027-28 to 2031-32.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people travelled by bus in Greater Manchester for each year from 2010 to date; and what assessment has her Department made of trends in the level of bus travel during the current spending period.

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

The Department does not hold data on the number of people that travelled by bus in Greater Manchester.

The Department does publish statistics on the number of bus journeys in Greater Manchester in the Annual Bus Statistics. These are available in Table BUS01e: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/bus-statistics-data-tables#local-bus-passenger-journeys-bus01.

The Government knows that local bus services are not delivering for all in many areas of the country, and we are committed to improving services and growing usage. That is why we have introduced the Bus Services Act 2025 to put power over local bus services back into the hands of local leaders to enable them to deliver better bus services that meet the needs of their communities. In addition, the Government has confirmed over £1 billion for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. Greater Manchester Combined Authority has been allocated £66.4 million of this funding, helping to improve bus services and connectivity across the area.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing free bus travel for care leavers in England.

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

The Government knows how important affordable bus services are in enabling young people to get to education, work and access vital services.

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations, such as expanding the eligibility criteria to include care leavers, would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability.

As part of the Autumn 2024 Budget, the Government confirmed over £1 billion to support and improve bus services in 2025/26. This includes £712 million for local authorities, which can be used to expand services and improve reliability, which are currently massive obstacles for too many people. Greater Manchester Combined Authority has been allocated £66.4 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to deliver better bus services can be used in whichever way they wish to improve services for passengers, which could include introducing new fares initiatives to reduce the cost of bus travel for care leavers.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners released on license into supported accommodation went on to reoffend in each local authority area in each year from 2015 to date.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Performance statistics on housing and accommodation outcomes for people supervised by the Probation Service are published annually and can be accessed via the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-accommodation-outcome-statistics

Proven reoffending statistics are published quarterly and include data broken down by the accommodation status on release under tab C3 in the ‘Proven reoffending tables’ document. The series can be accessed by the link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/proven-reoffending-statistics

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners on license were released to supported accommodation in each local authority area in each year from 2015 to date.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Performance statistics on housing and accommodation outcomes for people supervised by the Probation Service are published annually and can be accessed via the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-accommodation-outcome-statistics

Proven reoffending statistics are published quarterly and include data broken down by the accommodation status on release under tab C3 in the ‘Proven reoffending tables’ document. The series can be accessed by the link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/proven-reoffending-statistics

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which countries are subject to prisoner transfer suspensions as a result of (a) human rights concerns, (b) corruption and risk bribery concerns and (c) any other reasons.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

We have Prisoner Transfer Agreements (PTAs) in place with over 110 countries, both bilaterally, and multilaterally through the Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons.

We do not have any suspensions in place, each individual transfer is considered on a case-by-case basis and His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service will not transfer someone if they have reason to suspect their human rights will be contravened, or that they are at risk of corrupt release.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the cost of repairing all potholes in England; and how much funding her Department has made available in each financial year where data is available.

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

This Government takes the condition of our country’s roads very seriously and is committed to supporting local authorities in maintaining and renewing the local highway network. This is why the Government announced a funding uplift of £500 million for the 2025/26 financial year, bringing the total to almost £1.6 billion. It is estimated that this funding will enable councils to cover the cost of filling 7 million potholes which goes well beyond our manifesto commitment to fill an additional million potholes each year.

More widely, at the Spending Review the Chancellor confirmed that the Government will provide £24 billion of capital funding between 2026-27 and 2029-30 to maintain and improve our motorways and local roads across the country. This funding increase will allow National Highways and local authorities to invest in significantly improving the long-term condition of England’s road network, delivering faster, safer and more reliable journeys.

Between 2021-22 and 2025-26, the Department has allocated approximately £8 billion for local highways maintenance in England.

This includes a range of funding sources including the Highways Maintenance Block, the Integrated Transport Block, Potholes Funding, Network North, the Local Transport Grant, and highways funding that has been consolidated into City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS).

The figure is exclusive of baseline highways maintenance funding and Integrated Transport Block funding that has been consolidated into CRSTS funding for 2025/26. The Department has not split out how much of this funding is for highways maintenance as, by the nature of the funding, it is consolidated transport funding for local authorities to decide how best to use.

The £226 million Local Transport Grant of 2025/26 is for local transport and maintenance more widely. Integrated Transport Block funding is for local transport maintenance and enhancements.

Further information on these funding streams is available online, at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/highways-maintenance-funding-allocations

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/integrated-transport-block-allocations/integrated-transport-block-itb-allocations-2025-to-2026

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-transport-grant-allocations/local-transport-grant-ltg-allocations-2025-to-2026

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his planned timetable is for bringing forward legalisation to expunge the criminal records of victims and survivors of child sexual exploitation which were obtained during the period of abuse.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

We already have an appeals system in place which can quash convictions of victims of child sexual exploitation, so no legislation is needed to expunge criminal records.

My officials are working with the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) to ensure it is properly resourced to review the applications from victims who believe they were unjustly convicted when their position as a victim was not properly understood. Where appropriate, the CCRC will then refer individual convictions to the relevant appeal court.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of GP practice closures in (a) England, (b) Greater Manchester and (c) Oldham since 2010.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England has confirmed that since 1 April 2016, the total number of general practices (GPs) in England has reduced from 7,680 to 6,200, as of 1 November 2025.

At a local level, NHS England holds information dating back to 2013. Across Greater Manchester there have been 31 GP closures since April 2013, of which six GP closures have been in Oldham.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of hospital parking charges for (a) patients and (b) staff by hospital trust in England.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

No assessment has been made of the trends in the level of hospital parking charges.

All National Health Service trusts that charge for hospital car parking provide free parking for those ‘in-most need’. This includes frequent outpatient attenders, parents of sick children staying overnight, blue badge disabled holders, and NHS staff working overnight.

NHS trusts are expected to follow the principles set out in the NHS Car Parking Guidance. The guidance makes clear that charges, where they exist, should be reasonable for the area. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact pf (a) mobile phone and (b) broadband contract increases on inflation in (a) each year since 2020 and (b) each forecasted year her Department holds data on.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for producing the UK’s official inflation statistics. These capture the contribution of particular sectors of the economy to inflation. Mobile phone and broadband services sit within the “Telephone and telefax equipment and services” class of the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) basket.

HM Treasury does not produce forecasts for the UK economy. Forecasting the economy, including the impact of Government policy decisions, is the responsibility of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which published its latest forecast on 26 March 2025. The Chancellor has asked departments to prioritise reducing inflation when developing policies for the Autumn Budget, ensuring decisions support stability and long-term growth.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of housing conditions in the (a) private rented, (b) social housing and (c) co-operative housing sector in England.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government monitors housing conditions through the English Housing Survey and the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).

The latest English Housing Survey figures show that 21% of private rented sector properties are classed as non-decent, and 10% have a Category 1 hazard under the HHSRS.

In the social rented sector, 10% of homes are non-decent, and 4% have a Category 1 hazard. Co-operative housing is not treated as a separate sector and is included within these figures.

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 will extend Awaab’s Law to the private rented sector and introduce a Decent Homes Standard for privately rented homes for the first time. Social housing already operates under the Decent Homes Standard, and enforcement is being strengthened through the Social Housing Regulation Act, under which the first phase of Awaab’s Law has come into force.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the affordability of motor insurance in areas of higher deprivation.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Government is committed to tackle the high costs of motor insurance. The cross-Government motor insurance taskforce, launched in October 2024, is comprised of ministers from relevant government departments and the Financial Conduct Authority and Competition and Markets Authority. The taskforce is supported by a separate stakeholder panel of industry experts representing the insurance, motor, and consumer sector.

This taskforce has a strategic remit to set the direction for UK Government policy, identifying short- and long-term actions for departments that may contribute to stabilising or reducing premiums.

The taskforce’s final report is expected to be published shortly.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of waiting times by test centre in England for learner drivers undertaking a (a) Theory test and (b) Practical driving test.

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

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) have a key performance indicator (KPI) requiring that theory test candidates will wait on average no more than 28 calendar days from booking to their appointment. Despite unprecedented levels of high demand for theory tests, this KPI is consistently met.

The average waiting time for a car practical driving test in October 2025 in England was 22.4 weeks.

The attached Excel spreadsheet shows the average waiting time in weeks at driving test centres (DTC) in England, as of October 2025. Please note that this spreadsheet also includes DTCs, such as part-time test centres, which do not count towards the official waiting time measure mentioned above. Also please note that DTCs included in the official measure can change, for example for temporary or permanent closures, or other operational reasons.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of Government procurement of (a) British and (b) non-British made vehicles in each of the last three years.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Department has not made any estimates of these costs as internationally integrated supply chains make detailed comparative cost assessments highly complex.

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 the proceeds of crime funding in England directed towards tackling youth criminal exploitation and gangs.

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

Funds recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) are distributed under the Home Office’s Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme (ARIS). The objective of ARIS is to drive asset recovery performance, by providing agencies with incentives to use POCA powers to recover more criminal assets, with the overall aim of cutting crime and delivering justice.

Under the scheme, a proportion of the assets recovered using powers under POCA are redistributed to the agencies involved in the recovery, based on their relative contributions. The current allocation sees ARIS receipts split 50:50 between central government and operational partners.

In the spirit of the Scheme, the Government encourages agencies to use ARIS funds to increase asset recovery and, where appropriate, fund local crime fighting priorities for the benefit of the community. However, the use of ARIS allocations/payments is a matter for each agency and is left to their discretion. Further information on ARIS and how funds are spent can be found here: Asset recovery statistics: financial years ending 2020 to 2025 - GOV.UK

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners were released to accommodation in each local authority area in each year since 2015.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. While data on prisoners released into accommodation is held centrally, that is not broken down by Local Authority.

Performance statistics on housing and accommodation outcomes for people supervised by the Probation Service are published annually. These are broken down by probation region and can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-accommodation-outcome-statistics.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of youth councils on young people.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

We recognise the important role youth councils can play in young people’s lives and youth services. This includes empowering them to propose ideas, connecting them with local decision-makers, and enhancing a sense of community belonging and connection.

Each youth council is different to reflect the needs of the local area or setting. Youth councils assist government and local authorities in designing services and support that meet their needs. The best youth councils are invited to co-create youth provision or wider services focused on young people locally, ensuring public money is spent wisely in a way that addresses their needs.

This year, DCMS is running the Local Youth Transformation Pilot which will support local authorities to build back capacity in the youth space and improve local youth offers.

DCMS is committed to enabling effective youth empowerment, involving young people in decision making at all levels. We are co-producing the National Youth Strategy in partnership with young people, drawing together the voices of over 14,000 young people who engaged in the National Youth Strategy Survey. We will publish the National Youth Strategy later in the year.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether councillors in England are required to register unredacted (a) business and (b) commercial interests held (i) directly or (ii) through limited companies on their register of interests.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Under the Localism Act 2011, councillors must declare certain business and wider financial interests they might have, including all employment and any beneficial interest in companies if the interest is within the local authority area or if it exceeds a specified value.

These details are published in full on the local authority’s register of interests unless the councillor and monitoring officer agree disclosure could expose the councillor or a connected person to violence or intimidation and class it is a ‘sensitive interest’.

Government guidance on councillor interests is published online.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) male and (b) female prison staff were found to have had (i) inappropriate personal and (ii) criminal relationships with prisoners in each year since 2015.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The overwhelming majority of prison staff are hardworking and honest; we are determined to root out any who are not.

Information in relation to numbers of investigations and conduct and discipline cases can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hm-prison-probation-service-staff-equalities-report-2023-2024/hm-prison-and-probation-service-annual-staff-equalities-report-2023-to-2024#investigations-and-conduct--discipline-cases.

As investigations and conduct and discipline cases may involve multiple charges, and multiple outcomes in relation the different parts of the case, it would not be possible to obtain the information requested in relation to outcomes without incurring disproportionate cost.

His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) has been working on raising professional standards, with the aim of giving staff greater confidence to report evidence of wrongdoing, and this may have had an impact on case numbers.

HMPPS’s Counter-Corruption Unit detects, disrupts and deters activities of those suspected of wrongdoing. It provides support to prisons and the Probation Service, with specialist staff working with the police to support investigations.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many companies registered with Companies House were a). trading b). dormant and c). pending strike off action for each year from 2015 to date.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The following table shows the total size of the Register of Companies and the trading status of companies in the specified periods:

The following table shows the status of entities on the register at the start and end of the reporting period:

Figures in both tables are extracted from management information. They are unaudited and subject to change.

Due to timing differences, discrepancies can occur between the register status statistics and the trading status statistics. Consequently, the trading status statistics have been adjusted proportionally to align with the Official Statistics publication.

A review of the statistics regularly published is ongoing.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many enforcement test purchases have taken place for underage knife sales in England (a) in person at premises and (b) online in each year since 2015.

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

The Home Office does not hold data by year since 2015 of the number of test purchases online and at premises by trading standards undertaken for underage knife sales.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) fatal accidents, (b) serious accidents, (c) minor accidents and (d) near misses were recorded on smart motorways for each year from 2015 to date.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

National Highways reports annually on smart motorway safety performance. The latest report was published in September 2025 using DfT’s most up to date validated STATS19 casualty dataset and annex A contains a breakdown of casualties by severity from 2015.

The latest analysis continues to show that overall, smart motorways remain our safest roads in terms of deaths or serious injuries, but we have been clear that we will not build any new ones.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of bank closures on footfall in (a) town centres and (b) high streets.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

Banking is changing, with many customers benefiting from the ease and convenience of remote banking. Whilst the Government does not make estimates regarding the impact of branch closures on town centre footfall, the Government understands the importance of face-to-face banking to high streets and is committed to championing sufficient access for customers. That is why the Government is working closely with industry to roll out 350 banking hubs on high streets across the UK by the end of this Parliament. More than 240 hubs have been announced so far, and over 190 are already open.

This Government is fully committed to rejuvenating our high streets and supporting the businesses and communities that make our town centres successful. Alongside the £5bn funding for Pride in Place, we have announced a suite of tools to support communities to improve their high streets, including: High Street Rental Auctions giving councils the power to auction the lease of long-term vacant premises; a Community Right to Buy for communities to take ownership of local buildings they value; and streamlining the compulsory purchase process to help local authorities regenerate high streets.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the point of contact is for the local inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Oldham for victims and survivors; (a) when and (b) how the terms of reference for that inquiry will be consulted on; and what (i) safeguarding and (ii) wellbeing support is in place to support those victims and survivors.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

In June this year, Baroness Casey published her independent audit into group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse, and the Government accepted every recommendation it made, including establishing a new national inquiry. The national inquiry, equipped with statutory powers under the Inquiries Act 2005, will direct targeted local investigations in specific areas.

The former Home Secretary previously committed in January to provide guidance and establish a £5 million fund which would have supported non-statutory local inquiries. Given that we have since committed to establish a national inquiry with statutory powers, undertaking local investigations, we have discontinued work related to the previously announced guidance and £5 million fund.

In relation to Oldham specifically, the former Home Secretary made a commitment to support Oldham Council in undertaking their own local inquiry. The Department has been in discussions with Oldham Council about the right approach for Oldham, in light of the Government’s commitment to a new national inquiry. We intend to confirm the proposed approach for Oldham alongside further details about the national inquiry in due course.

With regards to safeguarding and wellbeing support, we are committed to ensuring specialist support is provided to victims and survivors. We are currently engaging with victims and survivors participating in the consultation group supporting the establishment of the national inquiry, coordinated by the National Working Group (NWG) charity. This includes ensuring they are able to access support, including therapeutic support (via the NWG).

We are also providing £2.59 million in 2025-26 for the Support for Victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse Fund, providing a range of support services with national reach.

The national inquiry, once established, will develop its own plans for engaging and supporting victims and survivors.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is the (a) cost and (b) number of HMRC staff undertaking inquiries into online marketplace sellers.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The department is unable to provide an exact breakdown in the cost or number of staff involved in this work. This is because HMRC takes a risk-based approach to compliance, and so tax enquiries into online marketplace sellers can fall into a number of different compliance areas. Staff involved will work across a variety of business types and in most cases will not be solely working on this one trade sector.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many online marketplace sellers have been required to pay a tax liability following a HMRC tax inquiry, and what was the average amount owed.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC does not segment it's data by trade sector, so is not able to accurately identify the number of businesses in any one sector which have been subject to a HMRC Tax Enquiry.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of devolution in England on post 16 education.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

As set out in the English Devolution White Paper, Strategic Authorities have a key role in ensuring there are clear pathways of progression from education into further and higher education and local employment opportunities. The government values the insight and local accountability of Strategic Authorities and is proceeding with the devolution of adult education functions to tailor training opportunities and drive growth.

Strategic Authorities help shape the training offer in their region through joint ownership of Local Skills Improvement Plans and can work with their constituent councils to plan provision locally.

Education for 16 to 19-year-olds is distinct and forms part of the compulsory education and training system. It offers young people high quality options that enable their transition into apprenticeships, employment, or further learning, such as higher education or higher technical programs. These options support the development of a skilled workforce and break down the barriers to opportunity.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposals to introduce an automatic approval assumption for developments near train stations on (a) levels and (b) locations of houses in multiple occupation where Article 4 directives are in place; and whether he plans to include light rail tram stations alongside or in the definition of train stations.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The proposals in question do not involve granting automatic permission to suitable planning applications.

They will cover development within a reasonable walking distance of well-connected tram stations, including light rail tram stations.

The proposals will not affect existing permitted development rights or Article 4 directions.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2025 to Question 86689, what information his Department holds on the number of court cases that (a) did not progress and (b) were delayed due to the non-attendance of professional witnesses in 1). England and 2). Greater Manchester in the last 12 months.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

An ineffective trial is a trial that does not go ahead on the scheduled trial date, and so a further listing is required. This can be due to action or inaction by one or more of the prosecution, the defence or the court. If a trial is deemed ineffective due to the witness being absent, this would indicate that the trial has been delayed.

The Ministry of Justice publishes ineffective trials statistics by reason including trials that are rescheduled due to “prosecution witness absent – professional/expert” here: Criminal court statistics quarterly: April to June 2025 - GOV.UK. These statistics can be filtered by Local Criminal Justice Board to isolate figures for Greater Manchester. We do not have access to data on ineffective trials due to the absence of a defence professional witness.

The Ministry of Justice cannot provide data on cases that “did not progress” due to the non-attendance of professional witnesses. This information would only be held in the individual court records for cases that are discontinued, and examination of these records would be of disproportionate cost.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many criminal cases were not prosecuted because the offender had diplomatic immunity broken down by nationality from 2015.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS1075) made on 19 November 2025 which sets out the serious and significant offences allegedly committed by those with immunity in the UK. We do not share details of individual cases.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many vehicle registration numbers are held on expired retention certificates; and what the estimated value of those registration numbers is.

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

While the information requested about expired retention certificates may be available, it would need to be extracted from different databases and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what is the total number and value of artwork owned by the UK government is in the national collection which is (a) on public display (b) in storage (c) loaned to organisations, institutions or individuals in the UK (d) loaned to organisations, institutions or individuals outside the UK.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Please note that not all artworks owned by the UK government are in the Government Art Collection. 15,118 artworks are in the Government Art Collection (GAC). 8,250 of these are on display in public exhibitions and across the Government’s global estate. These works are seen by hundreds of thousands visitors each year, promoting British art and contributing to cultural diplomacy in over 125 countries. 6,868 are not currently on display; of these some will be awaiting conservation and many will be reserved for a display or exhibition loan. 156 artworks are currently on loan to public exhibitions in the UK and 23 are on loan to public exhibitions outside of the UK.

Under the new government the Government Art Collection has radically expanded its public engagement programme, sharing more of the artworks with communities through partnerships and by participating in local, national and international events. In 2025 the Collection was shown in Bradford for I AM ME, an exhibition curated by 125 young people seen by 22,000 visitors. In 2026 over sixty works will be shown at The Box in Plymouth, selected and co-curated by a group of young people. Since July 2024, 62% more artworks have been loaned from the GAC to public exhibitions.

An estimated value of the Collection cannot be provided. Like other national collections, the GAC is not normally commercially insured nor treated as a financial asset. Against a background of constant fluctuations in the art markets, current valuations of every work of art in the Collection cannot be maintained. By governing legislation the national collections held by DCMS-sponsored museums are held in trust for the nation by trustees, not owned by the Government.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2025 to Question 87814, what proportion of mileage claims are made using a). HMRC Approved Mileage Allowance Payment rates and b). employers own assessment by 1). employees and 2). the self-employed.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The research report can be found here: Research with employers on Benefits in Kind and expenses - GOV.UK

Self-employed people are able to choose whether to use the simplified mileage rates or claim actual expenses and capital allowances for a vehicle. HMRC published research carried out in 2023 which showed that 29% of self-employed people who use vehicles in their business use the simplified mileage rates.

The research report was published on 28 May 2025 and can be found here: HMRC Mileage Rates Research - GOV.UK

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to support new farming entrants in England.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Our young farmers are vital to the future of UK farming, and we work closely with the National Federation of Young Farmers to consider how best to support them.

To secure that future for young farmers, we are investing £2.7 billion annually and developing a 25-year roadmap to boost profitability.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of personal allowance threshold freezes on people in each income decile for each year from 2015 to date.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The previous government made the decision to freeze the income tax Personal Allowance at its current level of £12,570 until April 2028.

The previous government published a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) setting out the impacts.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many incidents of inoperable active lane signage were recorded on smart motorways in each year since 2015.

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

It is vital that roadside technology is working as intended to best support driver safety and confidence. Smart motorways have a system of inter-related features that work together to keep drivers moving safely and reduce reliance on one single feature.

The Office of Rail and Road has reported on the availability of roadside technology assets on all lane running smart motorways in its three annual assessments of safety performance on the SRN. Between April 2022 and December 2024, monthly availability for signs has ranged from 88.4% to 92.4%, and from 92.3% to 97.4% for signals.

National Highways is continuing to invest in upgrading roadside technology to further improve performance and availability.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the value of unclaimed benefits by each benefit in (a) England, (b) Greater Manchester and (c) Oldham.

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

On 30 October 2025 the Department published Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year ending 2024, covering Pension Credit and Housing Benefit for pensioners in Great Britain. As these estimates are based on survey data, they are not available for lower-level geographies.

On the same day the Department also published Households potentially eligible for Pension Credit, 2023 to 2024, a sub-national analysis of eligible households in receipt of Pension Credit and potentially eligible households not claiming Pension Credit.

Estimates are not currently available for other DWP benefits, however on 15 May 2025 the Department published Unfulfilled eligibility in the benefit system: financial year 2024 to 2025 estimates, providing estimates of how much extra money benefit claimants in Great Britain could be getting if they told us accurately about their circumstances. It does not cover take-up of benefits, which is where people could have claimed certain benefits based on their current circumstances but have not done so. As these estimates are based on sample data, they are not available for lower-level geographies.

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 the local democracy reporting service on providing (a) public service accountability and (b) fact based local reporting.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) supports the vital role of local news, helping communities and local businesses to scrutinise decisions that impact them and holding public services to account through fact-based local reporting. The Government welcomed the recent retendering of LDRS contracts and the extension of the scheme until the end of the current BBC Charter period (December 2027).

Separately, we are developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of this vital sector. As part of this work, we are exploring the role of the BBC in the local news market, including the contribution made by the LDRS, as we move towards the next Charter Review. We are working across Government and with other stakeholders as the Strategy develops. An industry working group was set up in June to consider the issues in more detail and has been meeting regularly since then, including with BBC representatives to discuss the LDRS. More will be announced on the Strategy in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the number of licensed private hire drivers with criminal convictions for (a) sexual and (b) violence against the person in offences in England.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

All licensing authorities in England have a duty to ensure that any person to whom they grant a taxi or private hire vehicle driver’s licence is a fit and proper person to be a licensee and that they remain so throughout the duration of the licence. As part of this assessment all licensing authorities have reported that they undertake an enhanced disclosure and barring service (DBS) check and check both the children’s and adults’ barred lists.

Licensing authorities make decisions based on “the balance of probability”, so when determining whether a driver remains fit and proper to hold a licence, a driver should not be given the benefit of the doubt. If a licensing authority is only fifty percent certain as to whether a licensee is fit and proper, they should not hold a licence. The threshold used here is lower than for a criminal conviction (that being beyond reasonable doubt). This means that driver licences may be revoked even if any safety concerns do not result in a criminal conviction.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the mandatory displaying of food hygiene ratings on (a) shop fronts and (b) online food ordering platforms.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is operated by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in partnership with local authorities across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Evidence from Wales and Northern Ireland demonstrates that mandatory display has improved transparency, which encourages businesses to achieve better levels of compliance with hygiene requirements.

Introducing a statutory scheme in England, with a mandatory display of ratings at premises and online, would require primary legislation and the securing of a suitable legislative vehicle and parliamentary time. Ministers will consider the options in due course, supported by the FSA.

In the meantime, the FSA is working with its local authority partners to maintain and improve the impact and benefits of this highly successful public health scheme.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the cost of policing public protests in England in each year between 2015 and 2025.

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

The Home Office does not routinely collect information on these areas of police costs.

However, we are exploring ways for the police to improve cost recovery for managing private events, including football matches, and are working with stakeholders to understand the costs involved.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Ministerial Code.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The Prime Minister has made clear public service is a privilege and is committed to restoring trust in government by ensuring ministers are held to the highest standards.

Last year the Prime Minister published a new, strengthened, Ministerial Code which sets out the standards expected of all government ministers. It includes a full articulation of the Seven Principles of Public Life, bringing the importance of public service to the front and fore of the Code.

This commitment was further demonstrated in October when the Prime Minister updated the Ministerial Code. This update implemented reforms in relation to ministerial severance payments and changes to the operation of the Business Appointment Rules.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the non-recoverable cost of policing football matches in England in each year between 2015 and 2025.

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

The Home Office does not routinely collect information on these areas of police costs.

However, we are exploring ways for the police to improve cost recovery for managing private events, including football matches, and are working with stakeholders to understand the costs involved.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of police force public procurement in buying British made vehicles.

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

The Home Office does not prescribe requirements on police forces in relation to buying British vehicles.

It is a matter for each Force to assess and procure products and services that are proportionate to local needs to ensure effective policing for their area, and within their existing budget.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she plans to introduce a fit and proper persons test for social media platform ownership.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Online Safety Act enables senior management to be held to account. Action can be taken against senior managers who deliberately fail to ensure companies follow information requests from Ofcom. Ofcom will also be able to hold companies and senior managers (where they are at fault) liable if the provider fails to comply with Ofcom's enforcement notices in relation to specific child safety duties.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of “historic vehicle” status on preserving Britain's motoring heritage.

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

Classic and historic vehicles are a testament to British innovation and the Government is committed to supporting this sector. Following a call for evidence, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) worked closely with historic vehicle stakeholders and in August 2025 new policies were introduced to support vehicles that have been repaired, restored and modified. The new guidance supports historic vehicle keepers and the wider industry with clearer registration processes that reflect modern restoration and modification practices.

The feedback from the historic and classic vehicle sector is that the new policies reflect a pragmatic approach and address the major issues raised. The new policy has alleviated many of the difficulties associated with the previous policies.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many vehicles (a) are taxed, (b) have Statutory Off Road Notifications, (c) are untaxed and (d) are undeclared as having Statutory Off Road Notifications by nation and region.

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

The information requested is shown in the table below. Please note the table includes vehicles for which there is a current registered keeper on record and where a postcode match was found:

The most recent information available shows that 98.7 per cent of vehicles across the UK were properly licensed. More detail can be found at the following link: gov.uk/government/statistics/vehicle-excise-duty-evasion-statistics-2023

Information is not available about vehicles which are being kept off the road but for which no SORN is in place.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of hospital parking charges on (a) staff and (b) visitors to hospitals; and what information he holds on the total cost of such charges in the last 12 months.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of hospital parking charges. Hospitals in England are permitted to charge users for car parking, but those charges must be reasonable and in line with local charges. The revenue from hospital car parking is used to maintain car park facilities and any surplus income is put back into the National Health Service. The following table shows the income from car parking from patients and visitors as well as staff in 2023/24 and 2022/23:

Data on the income from car parking charges is published annually through the NHS Estates Return Information Collection, which is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collection/summary-page-and-dataset-for-eric-2024-25

In 2025/26, the Department is backing the NHS with over £4 billion in operational capital, enabling local NHS organisations to allocate funding to local priorities, which could include hospital car parking.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department plans to provide to help support hospitals to provide adequate levels of car parking for visitors in the next 12 months.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of hospital parking charges. Hospitals in England are permitted to charge users for car parking, but those charges must be reasonable and in line with local charges. The revenue from hospital car parking is used to maintain car park facilities and any surplus income is put back into the National Health Service. The following table shows the income from car parking from patients and visitors as well as staff in 2023/24 and 2022/23:

Data on the income from car parking charges is published annually through the NHS Estates Return Information Collection, which is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collection/summary-page-and-dataset-for-eric-2024-25

In 2025/26, the Department is backing the NHS with over £4 billion in operational capital, enabling local NHS organisations to allocate funding to local priorities, which could include hospital car parking.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the value of car parking income generated by NHS trusts in England; and how much was spent maintaining and operating car parks in those trusts in each year since 2015.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

No estimate has been made of the car parking income generated by National Health Service trusts in England. The following table shows the income generated for car parking and car parking services costs for England from 2017/18 to 2023/24:

Source: the Estates Returns Information Collection, available at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collection

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 adequacy of Ofcom's enforcement of news channel impartiality.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Ofcom, by law, carries out its duties independently of the Government. Ofcom is required by legislation to enforce a Broadcasting Code for television and radio, to ensure that news, in whatever form, is reported with due accuracy and presented with due impartiality. The Government believes broadcasters should uphold the highest standards and ensure polemic is not presented as fact.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what is the total consumer debt outstanding for each water company in England and Wales for each year from 2015 to date.

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

Ofwat is the economic regulator for the water sector in England and Wales.

In January 2025, Ofwat published a report analysing consumer debt that outlines key statistics on debt for household customers in England and Wales (please see page 49 for a summary of each water company). This information was not collected before 2023.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the nutritional value of food and drinks available to school breakfast clubs in England.

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

The department supports the provision of nutritious food in schools to enable pupils to be well nourished, develop healthy eating habits and to concentrate and learn in school.

The Requirements for School Food Regulations 2014 regulate the food and drink provided at both lunchtime and at other times of the school day, including at free breakfast clubs, and are available here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/1603/contents/made.

Compliance with the school food standards is mandatory for maintained schools, academies and free schools. Alongside the school food standards practical guide, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-food-standards-resources-for-schools/school-food-standards-practical-guide. Our free breakfast clubs guidance includes examples of healthy breakfast offers to help support schools to provide a healthy, balanced breakfast offer to pupils. This guidance has been produced in collaboration with the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities at the Department of Health and Social Care.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to expand support for armed forces cadet units in England.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 September 2025 to Question 76173 to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Dr Al Pinkerton).

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department expects bus usage in (a) England (b) Greater Manchester to return to pre-covid levels.

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

The Government is committed to helping local leaders improve local bus services and grow usage across England, including in Greater Manchester, whilst recognising that travel patterns have changed since the COVID pandemic. We are taking action to give local leaders the powers they need to deliver better bus services for passengers, including through the Bus Services Act 2025, and empowering them to choose the model that works best in their area, whether that be franchising, strengthened Enhanced Partnerships or local authority bus companies.

We are also investing over £1 billion in 2025/26 to support and improve bus services in England outside London, of which £66.4 million has been allocated to Greater Manchester Combined Authority. This funding can be used to introduce measures to help increase bus usage, for example expanding services and improving reliability.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of import duties on goods entering the UK from the EU on inflation.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Latest data from the Department for Business and Trade shows that 94.9% of goods entering Great Britain from the EU did so tariff-free in 2023, broadly unchanged from 94.7% in 2022. This data is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/preference-utilisation-of-uk-trade-in-goods-2023/preference-utilisation-of-uk-goods-in-2023.

The Government wants to find ways to make it easier for businesses to trade with our partners and so is seeking views on potential UK accession to the Pan-Euro Mediterranean Convention on Rules of Origin through a call for evidence led by the Department for Business and Trade. You can find this information here: https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/pan-euro-mediterranean-convention-on-rules-of-origin-pem

Forecasting the economy, including the impact of Government policy decisions, is the responsibility of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which published its latest forecast on 26 March 2025. HM Treasury does not produce forecasts for the UK economy and has not made an assessment of the impact of import duties on inflation.

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 rising energy costs on the viability of grassroots sporting clubs in England.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government is committed to supporting grassroots sport and ensuring everyone has access to high quality facilities.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport in England through its Arm’s Length Body Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery Funding. They offer support to clubs impacted by increased energy costs.

Sport England’s Movement Fund allocates 10% of the funding to clubs implementing measures to improve environmental sustainability and reduce energy costs. They also provide detailed guidance to sporting clubs on managing energy costs and making their facilities energy efficient.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment has been made of the adequacy of consumer protections relating to private parking companies.

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

The Government is aware of motorist concerns regarding poor practice from some private parking operators and is determined to raise standards.

In accordance with the Private Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019, the government is preparing a code of practice containing guidance about the operation and management of private parking facilities.

The government has recently consulted on its proposals for a new code of practice for private parking operators to follow. The consultation closed on 26 September, and the government will respond in due course.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many complaints of mis-selling of prepayment funeral plans have been made for each year from 2015 to date.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The regulation of pre-paid funeral plans is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Pre-paid funeral plans came under FCA regulation in July 2022, and so the FCA will not hold complaint data from before that date. The FCA will respond to the Honourable Member by letter with further detail, and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House of Commons.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many vehicles have been seized by the DVLA for not having valid vehicle excise duty in (a) England, (b) Greater Manchester and (c) Oldham by vehicle class in each year since 2015.

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

The information requested is not available in the detail or format requested. Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) officials will write to the honourable member with the relevant information that is available when it has been extracted and assured.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many gas safety certificates were verified by her Department's contractors for dispersed accommodation in (a) England, (b) Greater Manchester and (c) Oldham in each year since 2015.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office does not hold the information requested. The Home Office expects the highest standards from accommodation providers. A detailed breakdown of all of the services to be undertaken by accommodation providers and the standards we expect can be found in the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contracts (AASC) Statement of Requirements: AASC_-_Schedule_2_-_Statement_of_Requirements.pdf

All Accommodation must comply with the relevant standards for Accommodation defined in Annex B, and the rules relating to sharing and relocations defined in Annex C of this Schedule 2.

The AASC contracts include robust mechanisms for incentivising the provider to deliver on the contractual requirements set out therein. The Home Office also employs a dedicated contract assurance team whose conduct property inspections and assurance reviews.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many council tax accounts her Department's contractors maintained for dispersed accommodation in (a) England (b) Greater Manchester and (c) Oldham in each year since 2015.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office does not hold the information requested. The Home Office expects the highest standards from accommodation providers. A detailed breakdown of all of the services to be undertaken by accommodation providers and the standards we expect can be found in the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contracts (AASC) Statement of Requirements: AASC_-_Schedule_2_-_Statement_of_Requirements.pdf

All Accommodation must comply with the relevant standards for Accommodation defined in Annex B, and the rules relating to sharing and relocations defined in Annex C of this Schedule 2.

The AASC contracts include robust mechanisms for incentivising the provider to deliver on the contractual requirements set out therein. The Home Office also employs a dedicated contract assurance team whose conduct property inspections and assurance reviews.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department's contractors have spent on repairs for dispersed accommodation in (a) England (b) Greater Manchester and (c) Oldham in each year since 2015.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office does not hold the information requested. The Home Office expects the highest standards from accommodation providers. A detailed breakdown of all of the services to be undertaken by accommodation providers and the standards we expect can be found in the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contracts (AASC) Statement of Requirements: AASC_-_Schedule_2_-_Statement_of_Requirements.pdf

All Accommodation must comply with the relevant standards for Accommodation defined in Annex B, and the rules relating to sharing and relocations defined in Annex C of this Schedule 2.

The AASC contracts include robust mechanisms for incentivising the provider to deliver on the contractual requirements set out therein. The Home Office also employs a dedicated contract assurance team whose conduct property inspections and assurance reviews.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many illegal working enforcement visits have been undertaken in (a) England, (b) Greater Manchester and (c) Oldham in each year since 2015.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

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 on illegal working visits is available as follows: Statistics relating to Illegal Migration - GOV.UK (January 2019 – March 2024) and Illegal working and enforcement activity to the end of September 2025 - GOV.UK (October 2023 – September 2025).

Data prior to 2019 is not available.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much the Government has spent on advertisements and subscriptions with (a) X, (b) Meta, (c) Tiktok and (d) Alphabet Inc. Google in each year since 2015.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The government uses paid advertising to communicate important government announcements and campaigns that affect the public. Please refer to the table below for Government spend on advertisements and subscriptions (please note - figures from 2015-2018 are not available):

*Please note the figures for 2018 are partial year spend due to contract changes.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many fly-tipping incidents were reported and how many prosecutions were secured for each year from 2015 to date.

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

Local authorities in England are required to report fly-tipping incidents and enforcement action, such as prosecutions, to Defra, which the department have published annually since 2012, at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fly-tipping-in-england. This data isn't available at a constituency level and excludes the majority of private-land incidents.  Data for the 2024/25 reporting year is still being collected.

Due to methodological changes, incident data for 2018/19 onwards is not comparable to earlier years.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate has been made of the proportion of GP practices with (a) AED defibrillators (b) ECGs (electrocardiogram) on the premises.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Data on the provision of this equipment is held by local integrated care boards.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of household income is spent on (a) Council tax, (b) Income tax, (c) National Insurance and (d) VAT by income decile.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 17th November is attached.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate has been made of the average age of (a) passenger carrier vehicle buses and coaches, (b) private hire taxis and (c) Hackney carriages in England for each year from 2015 to date.

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

The Department does not hold data on the average age of buses or coaches.

However, the Department publishes data on the proportion of local buses by year of manufacture in the Annual Bus Statistics. Figures for the latest year are available in Table BUS06f, and data for previous years can be found in earlier publications: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/bus-statistics-data-tables#vehicles-operated-by-local-bus-operators-bus06. Prior to 2022 average age of the bus fleet was collected instead of year of manufacture.

The Department also publishes data on the average age of taxis and private hire vehicles in the Taxi and Private Hire Statistics. Figures for the latest year are available in Table TAXI0116, and data for previous years can be found in earlier publications: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/taxi01-taxis-private-hire-vehilces-and-their-drivers. The Department does not hold these data for years prior to 2020.

The Department does not hold data on the average age of Hackney carriages.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of tree planting and the provision of public open space for completed residential developments in England since 2015.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My Department has made no such assessment. The implementation of national planning policy is a matter for local planning authorities.

The National Planning Policy Framework sets out clear policy regarding tree planting and the provision of public open space as part of new development. It outlines that planning policies should be based on robust and up-to-date assessments of the need for open space, sport and recreation facilities and opportunities for new provision, which plans should then seek to accommodate.

In relation to tree planting, the Framework outlines that planning policies and decisions should ensure that new streets are tree-lined (unless, in specific cases, there are clear, justifiable and compelling reasons why this would be inappropriate), that opportunities are taken to incorporate trees elsewhere in developments (such as parks and community orchards), and that existing trees are retained wherever possible.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimare has been made of the average frequency of gully cleaning by highway authorities in England from 2015 to date.

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

Local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highways network in their area. The Act does not set out specific standards of maintenance, as it is for each individual local highway authority to assess which parts of its network need repair and what standards should be applied, based upon their local knowledge and circumstances.

Although the Government does not monitor the frequency of gully cleaning by highway authorities in England, it does encourage authorities to maintain their drainage assets through guidance and as part of an annual winter survey of authorities.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which contracts valued over £25,000 for dispersed accommodation providers have been contracted by Serco in Greater Manchester.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office holds seven Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts across the UK. The Home Office has contracted Serco Ltd as the AASC Provider for the North West region, including Greater Manchester. Responsibility for the provision of all dispersal accommodation in Greater Manchester therefore lies Serco Ltd. This includes the management of all subcontractors.

The Home Office does not hold contracts with other suppliers for the direct provision of dispersal accommodation and support services in Greater Manchester.

Further information on the Home Office’s contract with Serco Ltd is available here: AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW - Contracts Finder

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many Houses of Multiple Occupation there were in England in each year since 2010.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Estimates of the number of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in England in each year since 2000-01 can be found in my Department’s Local Authority Housing Statistics open data, which can be found on gov.uk here.

The latest figures for 2023-24 show an estimated 472,823 HMOs in England.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what was the cost to the public purse of installing new telephone systems in GP practices in England last year; and how many (a) systems (b) handsets were installed.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not hold data on the cost of installing new telephone systems in general practices, nor on how many systems and handsets were installed.

As part of our ambition to end the 8:00am scramble, we want patients to contact their practice by phone, online, or by walking in, and for people to have an equitable experience across these access modes. Since 1 October 2025, practices are required to keep their online consultation tool open for the duration of core hours for non-urgent appointment requests, medication queries, and admin requests.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of dispersed accommodation procured by her Department in (a) Greater Manchester and (b) Oldham is in Selective Landlord Licensing areas.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office holds seven Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts across the UK. The Home Office has contracted Serco Ltd as the AASC Provider for the North West region, including Greater Manchester. Responsibility for the provision of all dispersal accommodation in Greater Manchester therefore lies Serco Ltd. This includes the management of all subcontractors.

The Home Office does not hold contracts with other suppliers for the direct provision of dispersal accommodation and support services in Greater Manchester.

Further information on the Home Office’s contract with Serco Ltd is available here: AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW - Contracts Finder.

Injury on Duty Award Scheme

Found: English Devolution Jim McMahon MP, Minister for Local Government and English Devolution, Ministry of

Found: Jim McMahon had been minister for devolution up to 5 September: he was replaced by Miatta Fahnbulleh