Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding the (a) Government, (b) Premier League and (c) Samaritans are providing for the Together Against Suicide Partnership.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Through the Men’s Health Strategy, we have established a partnership with the Premier League to tackle male suicide and improve health literacy. This supports the Premier League’s Together Against Suicide initiative with the Samaritans. The funding contributed towards the Together Against Suicide initiative is not within the Department’s remit.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2025 to Question 76397 on Driving: Disqualification, how many drivers with more than 12 or more penalty points had not been disqualified by a court in 2025.

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

Where a driving licence holder has accumulated 12 or more penalty points, a court can exercise its discretion and decide not to disqualify them. Courts may allow drivers to retain their entitlement to drive where it is considered that disqualification would cause exceptional hardship.

These decisions are for the courts, not the Department for Transport or the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), which update and maintain the driver record using information provided by His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service.

On 13 February 2026, there were 10,822 drivers with 12 or more penalty points who retain current entitlement to drive and have not been disqualified by a court. Of these, 7,153 were awarded some or all of their points during 2025.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of (a) the ability for police forces to issue fixed penalty notices for motorists caught for excessively driving in the middle lanes of motorways and (b) trends in excessive middle lane motorway driving in (i) England and (ii) the Midlands.

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

(a) The enforcement of road traffic law and how available resources are deployed is the responsibility of individual Chief Officers and Police and Crime Commissioners, taking into account the specific local problems and demands with which they are faced.

The Police are operationally independent and they will investigate each case according to its individual merits.

(b) - The Department does not hold this data.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to WPQ 109606 answered on 3 February 2026 on Pensioners: Taxation, what the maximum value is of small amounts of tax.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

As stated in answer to WPQ 109606 on 3 February, the government will set out in due course further details on how it will ease the administrative burden for pensioners whose sole income is the basic or new State Pension without any increments.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many fixed penalty notices for careless driving due to excessive middle lane motorway use have been issued by police forces in (a) England and (b) Leicestershire since 2013.

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

The Home Office collects and publishes data on fixed penalty notices (FPNs) and other outcomes for motoring offences as part of the annual "Police Powers and Procedures: Roads Policing” statistics. The latest publication can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-roads-policing-to-december-2023

Table FPN_03 of the data tables available at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67506ce8d12a2dad3bc97ab4/FPN-other-motoring-offences-statistics-police-powers-procedures-year-ending-dec-23.ods contains information on the number of FPNs (and other outcomes) for motoring offences, recorded by police forces in England and Wales, broken down by offence type, during each calendar year between 2011 and 2023.

Middle lane misuse is treated under the general offence of careless driving (classified in these statistics under offence class 804a). Home Office statistics do not record middle lane misuse as a distinct category, and it cannot be separated from other forms of careless driving.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many fixed penalty notices for careless driving have been issued by police forces in (a) England and (b) Leicestershire since 2013.

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

The Home Office collects and publishes data on fixed penalty notices (FPNs) and other outcomes for motoring offences as part of the annual "Police Powers and Procedures: Roads Policing” statistics. The latest publication can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-roads-policing-to-december-2023

Table FPN_03 of the data tables available at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67506ce8d12a2dad3bc97ab4/FPN-other-motoring-offences-statistics-police-powers-procedures-year-ending-dec-23.ods contains information on the number of FPNs (and other outcomes) for motoring offences, recorded by police forces in England and Wales, broken down by offence type, during each calendar year between 2011 and 2023.

Middle lane misuse is treated under the general offence of careless driving (classified in these statistics under offence class 804a). Home Office statistics do not record middle lane misuse as a distinct category, and it cannot be separated from other forms of careless driving.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing information about methods of slaughter on food labelling.

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

The Government encourages the highest standards of animal welfare at slaughter. As set out in the Government’s animal welfare strategy, we are committed to ensuring that consumers have access to clear information on how their food was produced. To support this, we will continue working with relevant stakeholders to explore how better food labelling could provide greater consumer transparency and promote better animal welfare.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with small private schools on the impact of national living wage increases and teaching pay awards on their financial sustainability.

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

Private school fees and finances are a matter for private schools, as private businesses. Schools decide for themselves how to manage their finances including, for example the additional cost of VAT, the impact of the national minimum wage and in relation to any pay award they may choose to make.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an estimate of the proportion of private schools in England which have increased fees due to the introduction of VAT.

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

Private school fees and finances are a matter for private schools, as private businesses. Schools decide for themselves how to manage their finances including, for example the additional cost of VAT, the impact of the national minimum wage and in relation to any pay award they may choose to make.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to WPQ 100418 answered on 9 February 2026 about Adoption and Kinship Care: Special Educational Needs, which third-party bodies she has had discussions with on the needs of adoptive and kinship families.

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

Ministers and officials from the department regularly meet key sector stakeholders, parents, carers and others to discuss the needs of adoptive and kinship families.

In addition, our current consultation on adoption support and the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund invites all those with an interest to respond directly to the proposals made, and to submit evidence on adoption and kinship support. Details of the consultation are available here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/adoption-and-special-guardianship-support-fund-team/adoption-support-that-works-for-all/. Ministers and officials will hold a range of discussions with third parties as part of this consultation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made a recent estimate of the number of private schools which have increased fees due to the introduction of VAT.

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

Private school fees and finances are a matter for private schools, as private businesses. Schools decide for themselves how to manage their finances including, for example the additional cost of VAT, the impact of the national minimum wage and in relation to any pay award they may choose to make.

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 adequacy of current safeguards in place to protect NHS staff from patient assaults, and subsequent follow-up procedures.

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

Everyone working in the National Health Service has a fundamental right to be safe at work. There is a zero-tolerance approach to violence in the workplace.

Individual employers are responsible for the health and safety of their staff, and they put in place measures, including, security, training, and emotional support for staff affected by violence.

Existing measures will be strengthened by the introduction of a new set of staff standards, as detailed in the 10-Year Health Plan.

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 adequacy of the safeguards to protect mental health facility staff from patient assaults and subsequent follow-up procedures.

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

Everyone working in the National Health Service has a fundamental right to be safe at work. Violence rates in mental health settings are lower than the national average. Individual employers put in place a robust range of measures, including, security, training, and emotional support for staff that are affected by violence.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the introduction of VAT on private school fees on the financial sustainability of small private schools with less than 500 pupils.

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

His Majesty’s Treasury published a tax information and impact note on applying VAT to independent school fees.

The department has announced allocations for at least £3 billion in high needs capital between 2026/27 and 2029/30 to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or those requiring alternative provision. This funding is expected to fund a transformative expansion of inclusion bases, as well as adaptations to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of mainstream settings. It can also be used to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs. Wider proposals for SEND reform have been announced in the Schools White Paper, published on 23 February.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with local authorities on trends in the level of demand for state SEND provision due to private school pupils transferring to the state system.

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

His Majesty’s Treasury published a tax information and impact note on applying VAT to independent school fees.

The department has announced allocations for at least £3 billion in high needs capital between 2026/27 and 2029/30 to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or those requiring alternative provision. This funding is expected to fund a transformative expansion of inclusion bases, as well as adaptations to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of mainstream settings. It can also be used to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs. Wider proposals for SEND reform have been announced in the Schools White Paper, published on 23 February.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the numbers of parents using private education due to issues with accessing [i] SEND provision and [ii] EHCPs.

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

His Majesty’s Treasury published a tax information and impact note on applying VAT to independent school fees.

The department has announced allocations for at least £3 billion in high needs capital between 2026/27 and 2029/30 to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or those requiring alternative provision. This funding is expected to fund a transformative expansion of inclusion bases, as well as adaptations to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of mainstream settings. It can also be used to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs. Wider proposals for SEND reform have been announced in the Schools White Paper, published on 23 February.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of introducing a targeted subsidy for small charitable independent schools with fewer than 500 pupils on those schools.

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

His Majesty’s Treasury published a tax information and impact note on applying VAT to independent school fees.

The department has announced allocations for at least £3 billion in high needs capital between 2026/27 and 2029/30 to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or those requiring alternative provision. This funding is expected to fund a transformative expansion of inclusion bases, as well as adaptations to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of mainstream settings. It can also be used to create special school places for pupils with the most complex needs. Wider proposals for SEND reform have been announced in the Schools White Paper, published on 23 February.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2026 to Question 107755 on Hospitality Industry VAT, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of lessons learned from (a) France, (b) Germany, (c) Italy and (d) the Republic of Ireland on introducing hospitality VAT rates.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is aware that some European countries apply reduced VAT rates to hospitality, reflecting different tax systems, policy choices and wider fiscal contexts.

VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. Reduced rates of VAT come at a significant cost to the Exchequer, reduce the revenue available for vital public services, and must represent value for money for the taxpayer.

The Government keeps all taxes under review, with decisions on VAT rates taken by the Chancellor at fiscal events.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made about levels of [i] cases and [ii] prosecutions of individuals attempting to sell illegal retrofit headlamp bulbs in the UK.

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

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) carries out proactive monitoring of online marketplaces to identify products with potentially misleading claims such as road legal or MOT compliant.

Where appropriate, DVSA targets test purchasing and carries out assessments to confirm compliance with applicable standards and engages with sellers to correct inaccurate advertising and remove non-compliant products from sale. In the last year, DVSA has investigated 113 cases. DVSA has no estimate on prosecutions as it is dependent on the effectiveness of other interventions.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to conduct research into increased headlight glare from different makes and models of vehicles.

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

The Department commissioned ground-breaking independent research into headlamp glare in 2024, which was published in November 2025. This provided an important first step and a second phase of research is being developed to identify the vehicle design factors that may be responsible. Officials are currently engaging with relevant stakeholders to inform the programme of work, and we expect to procure and commission this next phase in the spring.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with relevant stakeholders on her food labelling policies.

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

Defra meets regularly with a variety of stakeholders in the farming and food industry. Through these meetings, ministers are able to engage with relevant stakeholders on a range of relevant topical matters, including food labelling, as necessary.

Defra also regularly meets with stakeholder groups, such as the Business Expert Group on Food Standards and Labelling, which is an advisory forum that facilitates structured dialogue between government, industry and enforcement bodies specifically on food labelling.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the TRL report prepared for her Department entitled Glare from road vehicle lighting on UK roads, published in October 2025.

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

The initial and ground-breaking TRL research demonstrates that glare is a complicated issue with several contributing factors. Any steps we take must avoid unintentionally reducing visibility for drivers or interfering with safety-critical cameras and sensors.

As part of the recently published Road Safety Strategy, we are planning further targeted vehicle-based research to help inform future international lighting regulations and consider what more can be done domestically.

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