Asked by: Sarah Coombes (Labour - West Bromwich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the DVLA's processes to prevent stolen vehicles from being disguised or cloned by criminals.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has measures in place to help prevent criminal or fraudulent activity. If an application is made for a vehicle registration certificate (V5C) and the DVLA has not been told that the registered keeper has disposed of the vehicle, the DVLA will contact the registered keeper of the vehicle asking them to confirm if they have disposed of the vehicle before issuing a V5C to the applicant. Individuals must have access to the latest V5C issued to be able to use the DVLA’s online services.
The DVLA continues to work with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and other government departments to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime, including the use of cloned number plates.
Asked by: Sarah Coombes (Labour - West Bromwich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she makes of the number of V5C logbooks that were obtained fraudulently every year for the last five years.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Sarah Coombes (Labour - West Bromwich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many replacement V5C log books have been issued every year for the past five years.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Sarah Coombes (Labour - West Bromwich)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that businesses in the downstream metals sector are supported during proposed changes to the steel safeguard regime.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
This Government recognises the distinct value of downstream users and has held multiple Ministerial discussions with businesses in the downstream metals sector, hosting roundtables on 19 January and 19 March. Officials have engaged extensively and will continue to do so.
The measure has been designed to strike a careful balance between supporting domestic steelmaking and maintaining secure, reliable supply for downstream users, so the UK can meet its national security and industrial needs. We will review the measure after 12 months.
To support supply chain adaptations, we are introducing a transitional arrangement under which the new measure would not apply to goods agreed under contract before 14 March 2026 and imported between 1 July and 30 September 2026. Further detail will be published in due course.
Asked by: Sarah Coombes (Labour - West Bromwich)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with businesses in the downstream metals sector about the upcoming changes to the steel safeguard regime.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
This Government recognises the distinct value of downstream users and has held multiple Ministerial discussions with businesses in the downstream metals sector, hosting roundtables on 19 January and 19 March. Officials have engaged extensively and will continue to do so.
The measure has been designed to strike a careful balance between supporting domestic steelmaking and maintaining secure, reliable supply for downstream users, so the UK can meet its national security and industrial needs. We will review the measure after 12 months.
To support supply chain adaptations, we are introducing a transitional arrangement under which the new measure would not apply to goods agreed under contract before 14 March 2026 and imported between 1 July and 30 September 2026. Further detail will be published in due course.
Asked by: Sarah Coombes (Labour - West Bromwich)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to prevent the misuse of civil and family court proceedings as a form of post-separation abuse and coercive control.
Answered by Catherine Atkinson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
We are committed to improving experiences and outcomes for children and families, particularly in cases involving domestic abuse. The courts have a range of powers to protect victims of domestic abuse. Where repeated applications may be a continuing form of abuse, courts can make orders meaning the perpetrator would require the prior permission of the court before an application could be made. Alongside this, both the Family and Civil courts can appoint an appropriately qualified person to undertake cross-examination instead of a perpetrator.
We are rolling out the Child Focused Model nationally, reforming the procedure to be followed in certain private law children’s proceedings in the Family Court. The model embeds referrals to local, specialist domestic abuse support services where domestic abuse is raised as an issue in the case. Victims of domestic abuse and other harms can receive expert support from an Independent Domestic Violence Adviser who will undertake a risk assessment and can offer support to the victim throughout the court process.
The model frontloads information gathering and risk assessment through the introduction of the Child Impact Report which presents an assessment of issues through engagement with the parties, the children and relevant agencies. This approach means that evidence is available to judges earlier in the case and reduces the number of cases returning to court, protecting children and families from further trauma.
Asked by: Sarah Coombes (Labour - West Bromwich)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department monitors outcomes in family court cases involving domestic abuse to identify patterns of harm arising from (a) repeated and (b) prolonged proceedings.
Answered by Catherine Atkinson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government recognises the significant impact of domestic abuse on children and adult victims involved in Family Court proceedings, which can be exacerbated when proceedings are prolonged. In March 2026, the Government announced the national rollout of the Child Focused Courts. Under the model, victims of domestic abuse receive specialist support from Independent Domestic Violence Advisers. Data from areas with the model shows cases are being resolved up to seven and a half months faster on average. The model reduces the number of cases returning to court, protecting children and families from further trauma.
We are closely monitoring metrics and feedback for the courts already operating the Child Focused Model. As expansion progresses, we are working with the Domestic Abuse Commissioner to explore how we can better understand the outcomes for, and experiences of, families in Child Focused Courts.
In addition, we are carefully considering the outcomes of the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s Family Court Review and Reporting Mechanism pilot and will provide further detail as soon as we are able to.
Asked by: Sarah Coombes (Labour - West Bromwich)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will set out which categories of steel are not produced by UK steel mills.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The steel trade measure is designed to balance viability of domestic steel production with the need for reliable supply for downstream businesses. It includes types of steel that the UK can currently produce, with quota allocations set to allow for sufficient imports to ensure continued availability of goods. The UK measure covers 20 product categories, six less than the EU’s proposed measure. More information is available at UK's steel trade measure from 1 July 2026 - GOV.UK
The Department has engaged extensively with producers and downstream users throughout the design of the measure and will conduct a formal review after 12 months.
Asked by: Sarah Coombes (Labour - West Bromwich)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect of reduced quotas and increased tariffs on steel imported from overseas on downstream metals businesses in the UK.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The steel trade measure is designed to balance viability of domestic steel production with the need for reliable supply for downstream businesses. It includes types of steel that the UK can currently produce, with quota allocations set to allow for sufficient imports to ensure continued availability of goods. The UK measure covers 20 product categories, six less than the EU’s proposed measure. More information is available at UK's steel trade measure from 1 July 2026 - GOV.UK
The Department has engaged extensively with producers and downstream users throughout the design of the measure and will conduct a formal review after 12 months.
Asked by: Sarah Coombes (Labour - West Bromwich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what percentage of ANPR misreads occurred in each of the last five years of the DfT's roadside surveys.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department does not readily hold figures on the percentage of ANPR misreads from vehicle excise duty evasion statistics roadside survey. Misreads are managed through quality assurance and correction processes, with any remaining uncertainty reflected in the confidence intervals published alongside Vehicle Excise Duty evasion estimates.