Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to introduce new consumer protections against rogue traders.

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

This government is committed to protecting consumers from rogue traders. Consumer legislation already sets out standards consumers should expect when a trader supplies goods and services, as well as remedies if these rights are breached.

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 further strengthens consumer law enforcement. For example, enforcers such as the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) can apply to the courts to impose penalties when dealing with consumer law breaches.

Furthermore, the Act allows the CMA to impose monetary penalties of up to 10% of turnover for substantive breaches of consumer law without having to go through the courts.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what progress she has made on improving the process by which people can apply for and obtain a Gender Recognition Certificate.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

This Government is committed to protecting trans people, ensuring that they are treated with dignity and respect.

We have already delivered our manifesto commitment to equalise all existing strands of hate crime to ensure that hate crime committed on the basis of sexual orientation, transgender identity, sex or disability is treated equally seriously to that committed on the basis of race or religion. Our next priorities are improving trans healthcare and, as set out in the King’s Speech, to bring forward a trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending the eligibility for a free copy of a judge’s remarks made after a jury has delivered its verdict to complainants in sexual assault cases where the defendant was found not guilty.

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

Currently, victims of rape and other sexual offences and bereaved families of homicide victims can already request a free copy of the judge’s sentencing remarks. Building on this, the Government is taking significant action to go further. From Spring 2027, all victims who want them will be able to request a free copy of Crown Court sentencing remarks directly relevant to their case. This is a major step forward for transparency and victims’ access to information.

At this stage, the Government does not have plans to extend free provision to additional categories of court transcripts. Our immediate priority is to ensure that the expansion of free Crown Court sentencing remarks is delivered effectively, so that victims can truly benefit from this significant reform.

However, we are focused on driving improvements for the longer term. This is why we are undertaking a study looking into the feasibility of using Artificial Intelligence to transcribe court hearings. The findings will identify what is possible with AI transcription in a Crown Court setting, providing an evidence base for future decisions about how transcript provision could be expanded in a way that is operationally sustainable and delivers real benefits for victims.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to stabilise the supply of progesterone and other hormone replacement therapy medications.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are over 70 hormone replacement therapy products, and the vast majority are in good supply.

We are aware of ongoing intermittent supply issues affecting Estradot (estradiol) patches due to global supply disruptions of this product. We continue to regularly engage with the supplier to expedite deliveries and stabilise supply where possible. We have issued comprehensive management guidance to healthcare professionals and Serious Shortage Protocols to enable community pharmacists to supply specified alternative estradiol patches, with the patient’s consent and without needing to seek authorisation from the prescriber.

We continue to work with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and Specialist Importers to source unlicensed estradiol and testosterone implants. We are not aware of supply issues with progesterone 100 milligram capsules which is licensed for hormone replacement therapy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support women who require hormone replacement therapy medication for management of long-term health conditions.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We recognise the significant impact that menopause symptoms can have on women’s health, wellbeing, and daily lives. Improving support for women experiencing menopause is an important part of the Government’s wider work on women’s health.

The hormone replacement therapy (HRT) prescription prepayment certificate covers eligible HRT medicines containing oestrogen and/or progesterone that are licensed for the treatment of menopause. It is valid for 12 months, costs £19.80, and can reduce costs for patients who need more than one prescription.

As announced in October, local authorities will be asked to include menopause in the NHS Health Check later this year. This will signpost eligible women in England to information on menopause, including symptom management, support, and diagnosis. Menopause and menstrual health conditions will also be priorities for the National Health Service’s new online hospital, due to launch next year, to improve access to specialist care.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data her Department holds on what proportion of driving test bookings involved the initial driving licence number on the booking form being subsequently changed, in each month since January 2015.

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

The attached spreadsheet provides data on the number bookings made and the number of bookings, including percentage, of practical driving test bookings where the initial test candidate’s driving licence number was subsequently changed to a different driving test candidate’s licence number* in each month since January 2015 to March 2025.

The table below provides this information from April 2025 to April 2026.

* The number of bookings made does not equate to the number of practical driving tests conducted. Not all test bookings result in a test being conducted.

Also, the number of swaps for a given month are not necessarily tests booked the same month. i.e. tests swapped in April 2025 are not necessarily tests booked in April 2025.

The DVSA has implemented new policies so that, since 12 May, only learner drivers are legally able to book a car practical driving test or make changes to a test. Further details can be found at www.gov.uk/guidance/changes-to-driving-test-booking-rules-in-2026.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of school budgets on workforce decisions.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

We are investing an extra £1.7 billion into schools in the 2026/27 financial year, including funding for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reform announced in the Schools White Paper. We are now more than 60% of the way towards our ambitious target of recruiting 6,500 new expert teachers in our secondary and special schools and further education colleges by the end of this parliament.

Schools have autonomy over their budgets and are best placed to take employment and recruitment decisions based on their own needs and context. We have published tools and guidance to help schools and trusts plan and deploy their workforce effectively to maximise value for pupils, available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/strategic-workforce-planning-for-schools-and-trusts.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her department has to improve retention of experienced and senior teachers in mainstream schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Retaining experienced teachers is at the heart of the government’s pledge for 6,500 additional expert teachers. Details of the delivery plan were published in February and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/every-child-achieving-and-thriving/6500-additional-teachers-delivery-plan-html-version.

Our plan included a targeted retention incentive worth up to £6,000 after tax for eligible teachers in key subjects, above-inflation pay increase of almost 10% awarded over two years, and development of resources to support teacher workload and wellbeing, including the ‘Improve Workload and Wellbeing’ service.

As announced in the Schools White Paper, we will invest in a new teacher retention programme that provides training, resources and peer support to help schools learn from each other. We will also extend the national professional development offer so there is training at every stage, introducing new professional development programmes for experienced teachers and leaders. We are also investing £1 million additional funding each year for wellbeing support, providing up to 2,500 leaders annually with a safe and confidential space to develop new strategies to manage their resilience and capacity to thrive in their role.

Our interventions are having impact and the latest data shows that teacher leaver rates have fallen to one of the lowest rates on record, to 9.0% in the 2023/24 academic year.

Found: of 62 (51.6%) Julia Buckley (Labour, Shrewsbury) (added 28 Oct 2024) 47 of 62 (75.8%) Jonathan Davies

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Mr Toby Perkins (Chair); Julia Buckley; Jonathan Davies; Carla Denyer

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Mr Toby Perkins (Chair); Julia Buckley; Jonathan Davies; Carla Denyer

Found: Tuesday 4 March 2025 Members present Bob Blackman, in the Chair Jess Brown-Fuller Jonathan Davies

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Mr Toby Perkins (Chair); Julia Buckley; Jonathan Davies; Carla Denyer

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