Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the enforcement of regulations prohibiting modification of a motor vehicle exhaust system so as to increase noise; and whether she plans to introduce further measures to prevent the sale, fitting and use of excessively noisy exhaust modifications.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport conducted research in 2019 on approaches to measurement of excessive vehicle noise and its enforcement. Barriers to effective enforcement that were identified included a lack of resource, specialised measurement equipment and guidance on best practice.

The research identified automated roadside noise cameras as a potential technology to address this issue. Trials of prototype technology were subsequently conducted, with results published in March 2024. Overall, the trials demonstrated that noise cameras had the potential to be used for enforcement, but only when accompanied by human review of the recorded evidence, which was likely to lower the cost effectiveness of deploying the technology in many circumstances.

The DVSA’s Market Surveillance Unit undertakes targeted enforcement activities focused on vehicle alterations and the fit and supply of vehicle parts, including silencers, to check for compliance. Successful prosecutions have been brought against companies providing illegal modifications that impact vehicle noise. The police also have powers to deal with noisy vehicles on an ongoing basis.

The Department has no current plans to introduce further measures to prevent the sale, fitting and use of excessively noisy exhaust modifications, but will continue to work with the DVSA to ensure enforcement approaches remain effective for addressing non-compliant products and vehicle alterations.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Online Safety Act 2023 in protecting adults with serious long-term health conditions from harmful health misinformation online, including misleading claims of clinical expertise or endorsement and claims that unproven treatments can prevent the need for dialysis or transplantation.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The Online Safety Act requires all in-scope companies to tackle illegal disinformation content. It also requires the largest 'category one' platforms to uphold their Terms of Service. This means that if the platform says it prohibits harmful misleading health content, they will need to address such content. These services will also need to offer user empowerment tools to further help adults protect against harmful content. Ofcom, the independent regulator, is currently consulting on these new duties which should be in force in 2027.

The Government and Ofcom’s media literacy work is also empowering users with the skills and knowledge to think critical about the information they encounter online.

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 child maintenance arrears that the Child Maintenance Service has been unable to recover in each of the last five years; and what steps he is taking to improve recovery of those arrears.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

DWP publishes Child Maintenance Service official statistics every three months. Table 4 of the latest national tables shows the amount of unpaid maintenance due through Collect and Pay in each quarter from January 2015 to March 2026, while table 5 shows the cumulative amount due since the CMS began and the proportion remaining unpaid. 7% of the total maintenance due through Collect and Pay since the CMS began remains to be collected. All arrears are treated as collectable unless the receiving parent and/ or child in Scotland, asks CMS to cease action, or in limited circumstances where recovery is not possible.

As arrears are not owed to the Department but to the receiving parent, CMS does not classify debt as uncollectable and has not estimated the value of arrears that cannot be recovered.

CMS continues to pursue unpaid maintenance of all ages and takes enforcement action where appropriate based on a paying parent's ability to pay, which may vary over time. To improve recovery of arrears, CMS uses all available enforcement powers where necessary, including action through Service partners such as Enforcement Agents and, if necessary, to initiate sanctions through HMCTS to secure payment of outstanding child maintenance and ensure children receive the financial support to which they are entitled.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK's protected bilateral ODA allocation for Palestine is reaching people in Gaza and the West Bank.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I draw the Hon. Member's attention to the Foreign Secretary's statement on 8 September. We continue to call on the Government of Israel to immediately lift restrictions and allow essential aid including medical supplies and fuel to reach those in desperate need, in line with international humanitarian law and as stipulated in the 20-Point Plan. We have protected our budget for Palestine and will be prioritising health, nutrition and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) through our integrated humanitarian programmes. We will continue to raise this with the Government of Israel. I saw our work with the Egyptian Red Crescent directly in Egypt last month, including the wider challenges facing humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

Kieran McGregor