Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is considering (a) transitional measures, (b) grace periods and (c) temporary arrangements to prevent compliant owners of dogs registered on the Index of Exempted Dogs from breaching the law due to a lack of available insurance.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is working to ensure owners of banned breed dogs can remain compliant with the legal requirement to hold third-party public liability insurance beyond 1 July 2026.
Defra has published guidance on our GOV.uk page and contacted all registered owners to inform them that no action is required at this stage. Defra will update registered owners and share further guidance which will be published on GOV.uk in early June.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of compliant third‑party insurance becoming unavailable while remaining a mandatory condition of exemption on owners of dogs registered on the Index of Exempted Dogs.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is working to ensure owners of banned breed dogs can remain compliant with the legal requirement to hold third-party public liability insurance beyond 1 July 2026.
Defra has published guidance on our GOV.uk page and contacted all registered owners to inform them that no action is required at this stage. Defra will update registered owners and share further guidance which will be published on GOV.uk in early June.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the extent to which costs associated with the UK ETS maritime extension will be passed through to freight rates, supply chains, and consumers in the short term.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Impact Assessment finds UK ETS compliance costs are modest relative to operators' overall costs. Route-specific case studies show very small effects on final prices, with increases well under 1% for typical freight goods.
The extent to which costs are passed through to supply chains and consumers will depend on operators' commercial decisions, contractual arrangements and market conditions. The Government has not undertaken route-level modelling, as these factors vary widely across the sector.
The Government will review the maritime element of the UK ETS in 2028.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether LNER met its target to modernise training for all frontline staff by March 2026; and how many staff have completed this modernised training program to date.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
London Northeastern Railway (LNER) has confirmed that it has successfully transformed and embedded modernised training for frontline staff within its business. This training is delivered through Training, Engagement and Development days and is undertaken by all on-train and station colleagues as part of a continuous 16-week training cycle.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on the business case for Northern's procurement of new rolling stock since 17 December 2025; and whether Northern remains on schedule to sign contracts for new trains.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Northern Trains Limited is progressing the procurement process. Manufacturer tenders for new trains have been returned and are undergoing evaluation. The procurement is on schedule to allow the first new trains to enter service by early 2031.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the cost to an average self-employed person of the reduction in the self-reporting threshold in the rollout of Making Tax Digital to £20,000 by 2028.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Costs will differ from business to business and are influenced by factors including size and complexity of the business, degree of digital capability and cost and functionality of chosen software.
HMRC has published assessment of the potential impact of MTD for Income Tax on taxpayers joining from April 2028, and it is available at:
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the answer of 24 February 2026, to Question 115449, on Parking Offences: Fines how this review of the research penalty charging levels relates to the DfT trial outlined in the Answer of 24 April 2026 to Question 127281 on Parking Offences: Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There is no connection between the findings submitted by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council and the information gathered by parking sector stakeholders independent of the Department for Transport.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate her Department has made of the average annual vehicle downtime and associated productivity loss per fleet vehicle arising from the mileage estimation, reporting and reconciliation requirements of the proposed eVED framework; and what assessment she has made of the cumulative financial impact on the vehicle rental and leasing sector.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The proposed approach to electronic Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) is designed to minimise administrative burdens by integrating mileage estimation, reporting and payment into the existing VED system, with most users expected to interact with the system once per year.
Mileage data from cars is currently collected at annual MOTs. The Government intends to use this data to ensure that user-supplied mileage is consistent and up to date. If a car is already subject to an MOT, there will typically be no additional steps for checks.
Cars under three years old are not currently required to have anannual MOT. In the eVED consultation published at Budget 2025, the Government set out the intention for these cars to attend an additional mileage check at an accredited provider around their first and second anniversary at no cost to the motorist, but welcomed views on whether these additional checks should be required.
The Government also recognised that fleets, rental and leasing businesses may require specific arrangements and sought evidence on the impact on the sector. DVLA are considering options to minimise the administrative burdens of mileage estimation and payments for these businesses, similar to VED, where bulk licensing options are available.
The Government is continuing to assess consultation responses, including those relating to the administration of eVED. In line with usual practice, the Government will publish an assessment of the administrative impact of eVED in a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) alongside the relevant legislation.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of recognising school examinations as grounds to delay a long-distance move of families between asylum accommodations.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Accommodation is offered on a no-choice basis across the United Kingdom.
However, as set out in the Allocation of Asylum Accommodation policy, accommodation may be temporarily arranged in a certain location where a child has started their final school or college year leading up to their GCSE, Scottish Highers, AS or A levels, provided they have been enrolled at that school for a significant part of the previous school year.
All asylum seekers, including individuals who have specific reasons for wishing to be located in a particular area, have access to a 24/7 AIRE (Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility) service provided for the Home Office by Migrant Help where they can raise any concerns regarding accommodation or support services, and they can get information about how to obtain further support.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
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 a family's long-distance move between asylum accommodations when the child is taking major exams such as GCSEs on that child's education.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Accommodation is offered on a no-choice basis across the United Kingdom.
However, as set out in the Allocation of Asylum Accommodation policy, accommodation may be temporarily arranged in a certain location where a child has started their final school or college year leading up to their GCSE, Scottish Highers, AS or A levels, provided they have been enrolled at that school for a significant part of the previous school year.
All asylum seekers, including individuals who have specific reasons for wishing to be located in a particular area, have access to a 24/7 AIRE (Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility) service provided for the Home Office by Migrant Help where they can raise any concerns regarding accommodation or support services, and they can get information about how to obtain further support.