Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance her Department has issued to local authorities on prioritising a) reactive and b) proactive road maintenance interventions.

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

Local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highways network in their area. The Act does not set out specific standards of maintenance, as it is for each individual local highway authority to assess which parts of its network need repair and what standards should be applied, based upon their local knowledge and circumstances.

There are occasions where potholes need to be repaired quickly for safety reasons, but the Department encourages local authorities to also focus on long-term preventative maintenance to ensure that roads are fixed properly and potholes prevented from forming in the first place. This is also more cost-effective than the repeated and reactive patching of potholes.

This year, the Government made available an additional £500 million for local highway authorities to maintain their highway network. A portion of the additional funding is contingent upon local highway authorities complying with criteria aimed at driving best practice and continual improvement in highways maintenance. This includes local highway authorities having to demonstrate to Government how much they are spending on highways maintenance, including the balance of spend between preventative and reactive maintenance.

In this context, the department has written to all local highway authorities to emphasise that when determining the balance between preventative and reactive maintenance, authorities should adopt the principle that prevention is better than cure, as also set out in the Code of Practice for well-managed highway infrastructure, available online, at: https://www.ciht.org.uk/ukrlg-home/code-of-practice/

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of Royal Mail’s delivery performance in rural areas.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The government is committed to an efficient universal service for users throughout the UK, including those in remote and rural areas.

It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to monitor Royal Mail’s service standards. The regulator sets Royal Mail enforceable targets to deliver a certain proportion of 1^st and 2^nd class post on time each year. Ofcom takes compliance with its regulatory targets seriously and this involves conducting thorough investigations where failures have been identified.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the answer of 15 October 2025 to written question 79794, if he will make an estimate of the proportion of residents in Mid Bedfordshire constituency who live within one mile of a post office.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Post Office’s performance against the Government’s Access Criteria is assessed at a national level rather than by individual constituencies. Information on how the Post Office measures network performance against these criteria is published annually in its Network Report, which is available on the Post Office’s website.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the operational costs of a) Mayors and b) Council Leaders enacting Police and Crime Commissioner functions.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

No overall assessment has been made yet of the full operational costs for Strategic and Local Authorities of taking on functions from Police and Crime Commissioners. We will be working with authorities to assess those costs as the details of the new system are developed and legislated for. We will work with the Home Office to ensure that the new arrangements are fully funded.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of taxation of salary sacrifice pension contributions on levels of pensions saving.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to pensions salary sacrifice.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) set out in their November 2025 Economic and Fiscal Outlook that they do not expect a material impact on savings behaviour as a result of Budget 2025 tax changes.

The government supports all individuals to save into pensions through a generous system of income tax and NICs reliefs worth over £70 billion a year.  Employers must also meet their automatic enrolment obligations.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the additional lifetime tax paid by people entering the workplace in 2025 due to taxation of salary sacrifice pension contributions.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN)(opens in a new tab) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to pensions salary sacrifice. As set out in the TIIN, the average additional NICs liability for affected individuals is estimated to be £84 in 2029/30.

Individuals earning below £30,000 making pension contributions through salary sacrifice are overwhelmingly protected by a £2,000 cap, with few (c. 5%) making salary sacrifice contributions above this threshold.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the press release entitled Reed: Government to cut sewage pollution in half by 2030, published on 19 July 2025, what proportion of the £104bn funding has been allocated to Bedfordshire.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government has secured £104 billion of investment which includes over £10 billion to reduce sewage discharges from over 2,500 storm overflows in England and £4.8 billion to reduce phosphorus pollution. This will deliver on cleaning up our rivers, lakes, and seas.

Further information on Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) actions for water companies to deliver within the 2025-2030 period is available for the public here: Price Review 2024 Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP) App. This can be filtered by Local Authority.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the answer of 15 October 2025 to Written Question 79886, which (a) District and (b) County Councils have been the subject of reviews; and what the cost was of those reviews by Council.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

The Local Government Boundary Commission for England estimates the costs incurred for reviews of district and county councils in the period between July 2024 and February 2025 to be as follows:

District councils

County councils

These estimates have been developed based on the average cost for each stage of the review process. The figures for each individual authority take account of the stage(s) of the review process that were undertaken during the period from July 2024 to February 2025.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 3 October 2025 to written question 74972, if she will list the eleven schools in Bedfordshire.

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

The department has published details of successful projects and applicants to the Condition Improvement Fund for the 2025/26 financial year, including the local authority and constituency. This list can be found on GOV.UK here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/condition-improvement-fund-2025-to-2026-outcome.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an (a) estimate of the age of inheritance for the next five decades and (b) assessment of the potential impact of increased longevity on the adequacy of assets held at state pension age for comfortable retirement.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Department for Work and Pensions has published analysis on the number and proportion of working age individuals who are undersaving for retirement. This analysis is published here: Analysis of Future Pension Incomes 2025 - GOV.UK

This analysis looks at Target Replacement Rates, the percentage of pre-retirement earnings an individual would need to replace to meet an adequate income in retirement, and also at expenditure-based measures of income adequacy in retirement. This analysis includes estimates of longevity as part of assessing the level of savings needed to achieve the various levels of income.

No specific assessment has been made of the age of inheritance.

The Government has also revived the Pensions Commission, with a broad and comprehensive remit to consider the long-term future of our pension system, to ensure it delivers financial security in retirement through a framework that is strong, fair and sustainable. This includes exploring the long-term questions of adequacy and how to improve retirement outcomes for future generations of retirees.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the a) number and b) proportion of dependent visa holders who are employed.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

An estimate of the number and proportion of dependant visa holders who are employed is not available, as not all the required information is held.

HMRC and Home Office have introduced a data sharing process to match visa data to administrative tax data. The Home Office published a research report on 12 May 2025 on the earnings, employment, and Income Tax liabilities of visa holders on Sponsored Work (Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, and Senior or Specialist Worker (Global Business Mobility)) and Family routes. This report covers the cohort of visa holders (and their dependants) whose visas were granted between April 2019 and March 2023

The publication estimated that at least 45% of adult dependants of those granted Skilled Worker entry clearance visas and 63% of those granted Skilled Worker extensions of stay had PAYE earnings in financial year 2023 to 2024. For Health and Care Worker dependants, this was 67% and 70%, and for Global Business Mobility dependants, 25% and 24%, respectively.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the take up rate is amongst targeted pupils for free breakfast clubs.

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

Free Breakfast Clubs are for all pupils to give children life chances and parents work choices. Through our free breakfast club early adopter schools, we have served more than 5 million meals, and we are expanding the programme by further funding an additional 2,000 schools this year, benefitting half a million more children.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an estimate of the proportion of home purchasers who were first time buyers in each of the last five years.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My Department does not collect data on the number of first-time buyers.

The Office for National Statistics publishes data on first-time buyer mortgage sales by local authority in the UK. They can be found on its website here. Data covers the period between 2006 and 2024. Data for 2025 has not yet been published

On 28 November 2025, the government published the latest update on UK monthly property transactions, which includes the total number of home purchases. It can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the annual cost to the public purse of putting a child through secondary state school education.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Annually, the department publishes the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG), which includes information on the amount of core schools funding allocated by the department nationally as well as to each local authority. This includes the amount of funding allocated in respect of secondary pupils in mainstream schools, the ‘secondary schools unit of funding’. The DSG for financial year 2026/27 has now been published and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2026-to-2027.

In addition to the funding from the DSG, schools also receive additional school funding annually, for example through the Pupil Premium grant (in respect of pupils eligible for free school meals in the last six years), and capital funding.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 17 November 2025 to written question 89804, if she will publish that assessment.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department has no current plans to publish the internal value for money assessment for the Electric Car Grant.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press release entitled More homes and improved high streets for new mayoral areas through 30-year funding package, published on 4 December 2025, whether additional funding will be available for new mayoral areas outside the Devolution Priority Programme.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 97367 on 11 December 2025. Decisions on future devolution areas beyond those in the Devolution Priority Programme, including Bedfordshire, have not yet been taken, but the Department will continue to engage with local authorities about possible future devolution agreements. All future funding decisions, including the 30-year investment fund, will form part of conversations with local areas. The government is committed to ensuring that all new Strategic Authorities are built on strong foundations and set up to succeed.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has allocated funding for Mayoral strategic authorities which a) do not currently exist and b) are not in the priority programme across the Spending Review period.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 97367 on 11 December 2025. Decisions on future devolution areas beyond those in the Devolution Priority Programme, including Bedfordshire, have not yet been taken, but the Department will continue to engage with local authorities about possible future devolution agreements. All future funding decisions, including the 30-year investment fund, will form part of conversations with local areas. The government is committed to ensuring that all new Strategic Authorities are built on strong foundations and set up to succeed.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will set out the timeline for establishing a Mayoral Strategic Authority in Bedfordshire.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 97367 on 11 December 2025. Decisions on future devolution areas beyond those in the Devolution Priority Programme, including Bedfordshire, have not yet been taken, but the Department will continue to engage with local authorities about possible future devolution agreements. All future funding decisions, including the 30-year investment fund, will form part of conversations with local areas. The government is committed to ensuring that all new Strategic Authorities are built on strong foundations and set up to succeed.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the cost of elections for new Mayors during this Parliament.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

No assessment has been made. Spend on council elections is a matter for local authorities and spend on mayoral elections for strategic authorities is a matter for those bodies.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the a) creation of and b) ongoing operation of Mayoral authorities during this Parliament.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

In my statement to parliament on the 4 December 2025, I confirmed that Investment Funds for the six areas on the Devolution Priority Programme will amount to close to £200 million collectively per year for 30 years, once Mayors are in post. I also confirmed that each area will receive £3 million over the next three financial years in capacity funding to support the establishment of the new institutions.

The government does not, however, hold full estimates of future operating costs. The costs for operating Mayoral Strategic Authorities can vary depending on their size, the responsibilities they exercise, and local political and financial decisions. Financial information can be found in their published, annual budgets. Details of funding provided to Mayoral Strategic Authorities from central government is also published each year in annual devolution reports and can be accessed on gov.uk.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of processing times for applications for pension credit.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The latest year to date performance for 2025-2026 shows improvement of claims processed within the current target of 50 working days. Our most recent Pension Credit applications and awards: November 2025 - GOV.UK statistics show outstanding Pension Credit claims have reduced to 12,940 outstanding at the end of week commencing 17 November. This is a decrease of 84% or 68,845 fewer outstanding claims compared to end of week commencing 18 November 2024.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of his planning policies on nature.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Environment Act 2021 requires Ministers to have 'due regard' to the policy statement on environmental principles when making policy. This is to ensure that environmental considerations are at the heart of policymaking across government.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that to protect and enhance biodiversity and geodiversity, local plans should identify, map and safeguard components of local wildlife rich habitats and wider ecological networks such as chalk streams. It is for local planning authorities to apply this policy when planning for new development.

The government is currently consulting on changes to the NPPF, including proposals to simplify and improve the approach to environmental protections and promote a stronger focus on green infrastructure and nature-based solutions. The consultation can be found on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of service times at HM Land Registry.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Improving speed of service remains a top priority for HM Land Registry (HMLR). Plans to achieve this are set out in the Agency’s Strategy 2025+ which was published on 5 November 2025 and can be found on gov.uk here.

As its sponsor department, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government holds HMLR to account for its performance and operational delivery and is in regular communication with HMLR about their processing times.

HMLR has been making improvements in this area through hiring and training more staff and by improving the efficiency of the services its customers use. The introduction of new pre-submission validation checks will speed up processes and reduce staff time spent on dealing with errors or mistakes. The age of outstanding post-completion applications is now under 12 months across all service lines, from a peak of 20 months in February 2023.

HMLR processing times are publicly available on gov.uk here.

Anyone who is concerned that a delay to their application may cause financial, legal, or personal problems or put a property sale at risk, can apply to have their application expedited free of charge. HMLR processes nearly 1,400 expedited applications every day, with more than 95% actioned within 10 working days.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the press release entitled Schools to save millions as Government launches agency profit cap, published on 4 December 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of that policy on the availability of agency staff for schools.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Supply teachers and supply staff perform a valuable role, and the department is grateful for their important contribution to schools across the country.

Schools, academies and local authorities are responsible for the recruitment of their supply staff, which includes deciding whether to use private supply agencies to fill temporary posts or cover teacher absence.

The measure will cap profits of private agencies and does not affect supply teacher pay. Therefore, we should not see any negative impact on the availability and number of supply teachers as a direct result of this policy.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of new technologies on the need for animal testing.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government’s strategy to support replacing animals in science covers an assessment of the potential impact of new technologies and sets out our long-term vision for a world where the use of animals in science is eliminated in all but exceptional circumstances, achieved by creating a research and innovation system that drives the development and validation of alternative methods and technologies to using animals in science. We will publish biennially a list of alternative-methods research and development priorities, coalescing UK scientists around these areas and incentivising partnerships between research organisations, CROs and industry.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press release Families to save hundreds of pounds in major homebuying overhaul, published on 5 October 2025, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of that policy on the number of houses available for sale.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

On 6 October, my Department published two consultations outlining reform proposals to transform home buying and selling. They can be found on gov.uk here and here.

Final policy decisions as well as a refined analysis of the impact of the proposals in question are subject to a review of the information received through the consultation process.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure national accountability for equitable provision of palliative care across England.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning palliative care services to meet the reasonable needs of their population, which can include hospice services available within the ICB catchment. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and a service specification.

The Government is developing a Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF) for England. The MSF will drive improvements in the services that patients and their families receive at the end of life and enable ICBs to address challenges in access, quality, and sustainability through the delivery of high-quality, personalised care. This will be aligned with the ambitions set out in the recently published 10-Year Health Plan. Through our MSF, we will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to ensure that services reduce variation in access and quality.

The recently published Strategic Commissioning Framework and Medium-Term Planning Guidance also make clear the expectations that ICBs should understand current and projected total service utilisation and costs for those at the end of life, creating an overall plan to more effectively meet these needs through neighbourhood health.

Hospices provide both core and specialist palliative care. Whilst acknowledging that not everyone will need specialist palliative care, we must ensure is that there is equitable and timely access to these services, whether they are provided by hospices or the National Health Service.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has considered fully funding specialist palliative care, advice and assessment provided by hospices.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning palliative care services to meet the reasonable needs of their population, which can include hospice services available within the ICB catchment. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and a service specification.

The Government is developing a Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework (MSF) for England. The MSF will drive improvements in the services that patients and their families receive at the end of life and enable ICBs to address challenges in access, quality, and sustainability through the delivery of high-quality, personalised care. This will be aligned with the ambitions set out in the recently published 10-Year Health Plan. Through our MSF, we will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to ensure that services reduce variation in access and quality.

The recently published Strategic Commissioning Framework and Medium-Term Planning Guidance also make clear the expectations that ICBs should understand current and projected total service utilisation and costs for those at the end of life, creating an overall plan to more effectively meet these needs through neighbourhood health.

Hospices provide both core and specialist palliative care. Whilst acknowledging that not everyone will need specialist palliative care, we must ensure is that there is equitable and timely access to these services, whether they are provided by hospices or the National Health Service.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to publish guidance for planning inspectors on how to approach local authorities which allocate housing sites later designated as new towns in emerging local plans.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

In advance of the government confirming new town locations, local planning authorities for areas in which a new town may be located should continue with plan-making and continue to approach planning applications in these locations in a positive and proactive manner.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of the performance of Thameslink in the context of its nationalisation.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

We recognise that performance on Thameslink services has not consistently met the levels that passengers expect and deserve over recent years, though we are seeing improvements. As part of the mobilisation process for transferring Govia Thameslink Railway’s services, including Thameslink services, into public ownership on 31 May 2026, the Department is conducting detailed due diligence on current operations. This, alongside the operator’s own plans to drive improvements, will inform measures to enhance services following transfer.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the press release entitled NHS to invest in pioneering tech to drive down waiting lists, published on 26 September 2025, if he will monitor value for money and return on investment.

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

The Department is developing Value Based Procurement Standard Guidance to ensure greater consistency in National Health Service procurement and shift decisions towards value and outcomes over unit cost.

13 NHS trusts, covered by nine procurement teams are piloting the guidance prior to its publication and national rollout across the NHS in 2026.

NHS trusts have established governance processes to monitor value for money and return on investment in line with Government policy. The guidance will support NHS procurement teams to do this with information on best practice for setting key performance indicators, baselining, and contract management.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 24 October 2025 to Written Question 75761, what criteria he uses to determine cost-effectiveness.

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

The criteria used to determine the cost-effectiveness of offering services in the NHS App is yet to be finalised, as scoping is at an early stage and will take place alongside the business planning process for the Spending Review period.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of safeguards in AI when dealing with mental health based queries.

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

The Department recognises the importance of safeguards when using artificial intelligence (AI) for mental health queries. The United Kingdom has a world-leading regulatory system, and the National Health Service operates within a comprehensive regulatory framework for AI, underpinned by rigorous standards established by bodies including the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the Health Research Authority, and the Care Quality Commission. These agencies ensure that AI technologies are safe, effective, and ethically deployed within healthcare settings.

Publicly available AI applications that are not deployed by the NHS, such as ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini, are not regulated as medical technologies and may offer incorrect or harmful information. Users are strongly advised to be careful when using these technologies. The Department recommends that individuals seek advice from the NHS website, which provides clinically approved guidance on mental health-based queries, or that they reach out to healthcare professionals.

The Department continues to work with NHS England and regulators to strengthen oversight and ensure AI in health and care is safe, effective, and accountable.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 8 October 2025 to written question 75742, if he will make an estimate of the resources required for continuous monitoring.

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

Detailed planning is still underway for the Spending Review period, which would include the continuous monitoring of all elements of the NHS App, including artificial intelligence assisted triage functionality. At this stage no estimate has been made of the resources required for the continuous monitoring of the triage functions of the NHS App specifically, but it is being included and is a key element when considering how to deliver this change.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 6 November 2025 to written question 79826, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the national security implications of the creation of a large database of genomic data.

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

Data is the driving force of modern economies and technology and is strategically important nationally and globally. However, we know this data can be exploited by those seeking to counter United Kingdom interests and we are taking action to secure our data and its supporting infrastructure to support the UK's long-term growth.

The UK has strong safeguards and world-leading investigation and enforcement to ensure that data is collected and handled responsibly and securely. I am engaging with my Cabinet Office colleagues to ensure our protocols adapt as technology develops to protect the UK’s national security.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the capacity of the construction industry to deliver planned housing and infrastructure projects in Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Government is investing £625 million in construction skills over this Parliament, with the aim of delivering up to 60,000 additional skilled workers and support employers to invest in training.

The industry-led Construction Skills Mission Board is working to create construction job opportunities to meet the government’s announced infrastructure and built environment commitments.

The Construction Leadership Council’s Material’s Supply Chain Group, in October 2025, noted that product availability was generally good, with isolated reports of shortages, some caused by manufacturing issues.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the press release entitled Online GP appointment requests available everywhere from today, published on 1 October 2025, if he will consider allowing online appointment requests to be made 24 hours per day.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

As of 1 October 2025, general practices (GPs) have been required to offer access to online services throughout core hours, from 8:00am to 6:30pm, bringing online access in line with walk-in and phone access. This change aims to improve patient access, reduce long phone queues, and help GPs to manage demand more effectively.

National Health Service advice is that patients can contact 111 if their GP is closed, ensuring that those with urgent health concerns receive timely guidance and, where necessary, are directed to appropriate care pathways.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many visas a) his Department, b) the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency, c) the UK Health Security Agency, d) the Care Quality Commission, e) the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, f) the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, g) NHS Blood and Transplant, h) NHS Business Services Authority and i) NHS Resolution have sponsored since 4 July 2024.

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

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 11 December 2025 to Question 96902.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much the NHS has spent on agency staff by employment type in each of the last five years.

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

Temporary staffing allows the National Health Service to meet workforce demand fluctuations without the need to increase capacity above that which is required on a sustained basis. NHS England publishes the total agency spend for providers on a quarterly basis. This includes all employment types, as NHS England does not hold a split of spend by employment types. The latest data is available up to September 2025 which can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publications/financial-performance-reports/

In addition, the following table shows total agency spend each year for the last five years

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the press release entitled Fresh drive to boost Pension Credit take-up as new figures reveal large regional gaps in those receiving benefit worth around £4,300 a year, published on 30 October 2025, if he will publish constituency level analysis.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Ad-hoc statistics on households potentially eligible for Pension Credit were published by DWP for the financial year 2023 to 2024 and are available at: Households potentially eligible for Pension Credit, 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK. Table 4a provides a breakdown of eligible households in receipt of Pension Credit, potentially eligible households and Pension Credit receipt rate by parliamentary constituency.

These are estimates based on administrative data and are not derived from the official statistics (available here: Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year ending 2024 - GOV.UK). The official statistics should be used for estimates of Pension Credit take-up at the Great Britian level, with the ad-hoc statistics providing breakdowns at lower levels of geographical areas.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to promote soil education among planning officers, developers, landowners and the public.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government recognises the importance of soil education and promoting the importance of soil health, through sustainable and responsibly managed soil practices.

Defra continues to engage with the industry to disseminate a range of material to support planning officers, farmers and land managers to make informed choices about how to sustainably manage their soil. This includes engaging with the British Society of Soil Science to introduce a soil scientist apprenticeship programme to increase the number of qualified experts to support them.

The National Planning Policy Framework sets out that planning policies and decisions should contribute to and enhance the natural and local environment by protecting and enhancing sites of geological value and soils. The associated guidance is clear that soil is an essential natural capital asset that provides important ecosystem services. More broadly, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have also established a ‘Planning Capacity & Capability’ programme to develop a wider programme of support, working with partners across the planning sector, to ensure that local planning authorities have the skills and capacity they need.

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 planning protections for high-functioning soils by designating them as Soil Conservation Zones.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government has no plans to assess or introduce new planning-based protected designations for high functioning soils.

However, the Government recognises the importance of improving and protecting soil health, through sustainable and responsibly managed soil practices. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) states that the planning system should protect and enhance soils and ensure new development does not lead to unacceptable levels of soil pollution. It also requires planning authorities to safeguard ‘best and most versatile land’ (BMV) agricultural land. Surveys under the Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) system are required to be carried out on agricultural land, so that planners can determine whether a site contains BMV land before making planning decisions.

Other soil functions are also protected or managed through various existing mechanisms within the planning system, including those relating to flood risk, pollution and contaminated land, biodiversity, landscape and cultural heritage.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to protect Best and Most Versatile agricultural land from development.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) underlines the importance of the Best and Most Versatile agricultural land which is the land most valuable for food production. Where significant development of agricultural land is demonstrated to be necessary, areas of poorer quality land should be used in preference to that of higher quality.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to open an Embassy in Palestine.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

It is the longstanding position of the UK Government that Jerusalem should be a shared capital of two states, with its final status determined as part of a negotiated, peaceful settlement between Israelis and Palestinians, respecting the access and religious rights of all peoples. The future status of the British Consulate General in Jerusalem will be decided in light of progress towards this historic goal.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, where the UK recognises as the capital of the State of Palestine.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

It is the longstanding position of the UK Government that Jerusalem should be a shared capital of two states, with its final status determined as part of a negotiated, peaceful settlement between Israelis and Palestinians, respecting the access and religious rights of all peoples. The future status of the British Consulate General in Jerusalem will be decided in light of progress towards this historic goal.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an estimate of the average cost per elector of elections for a) Police and Crime Commissioners and b) Mayors.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) publishes detailed reports on the cost of running Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections, including the average cost per elector. These reports are available on gov.uk here.

It is intended that a report on the cost of the 2021 PCC elections will be published in due course. The cost of the 2024 PCC election is subject to future publication once all the costs relating to that poll have been finalised and settled.

For combined authority mayoral and local authority mayoral elections, costs are met by the relevant local authorities. MHCLG does not hold any data on the cost of these elections.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Autumn Budget 2025, whether his policy to fully fund SME apprenticeships for under 25s will include level 7 apprenticeships.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer of I gave on 10 December 2025 to Question UIN 95355.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make a comparative assessment of trends in the level of delay and cancellations by rail companies nationalised in 2025 a) before and b) after nationalisation.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Public ownership is not a silver bullet, but it is a vital step towards rebuilding trust and pride in our railways. Due to seasonal variations and the impact of things like service level changes and introduction of new rolling stock, it will take time for the impact of public ownership to be fully reflected in performance trend data. The Department expects all operators, both public and private, to deliver good performance for passengers. However, recent data published by the Office of Rail and Road shows that overall reliability is higher for operators currently in public ownership than for private sector operators contracted by the Department.

Data on rail performance and other industry statistics is available on the Office of Rail and Road data portal: https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of capacity on the East Coast Mainline in the context of the Tempsford New Town.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government has committed to bring forward the delivery of a new station at Tempsford to introduce services on the East Coast Main line (ECML) to the area as part of the East West Rail (EWR) project and ahead of the full EWR scheme opening. Network Rail will consider the impact of any new station at Tempsford as part of business case development for any future ECML infrastructure investment, including journey time and capacity implications for ECML services.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether local authorities will receive powers to set planning fees locally for the 2026/27 financial year.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Planning and Infrastructure Act provides the Secretary of State with the power to delegate the setting of planning fees to local planning authorities.

The process for local fee setting will be set out in regulations this year. We will shortly also be consulting on a national default fee, which will be the baseline from which local planning authorities can vary and set their own fees.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of CMS enforcement.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

If paying parents fail to meet their financial obligation to their children, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) has a range of strong enforcement powers, including deductions directly from earnings and bank accounts, removing a parent’s passport or driving license and commitment to prison.

CMS continually assesses the effectiveness of its enforcement action and in the year to September 2025 collected £214m through administrative and court-based enforcement actions (including deductions from earnings). This is the highest amount collected annually through enforcement activity, and 21% more than that collected during the year to September 2024.

We are working to introduce administrative liability orders (ALOs) to replace the current court-based liability order process. This simpler approach will allow CMS to act faster against parents who avoid their responsibilities, getting money to children more quickly. These changes strengthen enforcement powers and reduce delays. We are working with HM Courts and Tribunals Service and the Scottish Government to implement ALOs and will bring regulations to Parliament as soon as possible.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an estimate of the cost to the public purse of re-introducing maintenance grants.

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

Targeted, means-tested maintenance grants will be funded by a new International Student Levy, with both being introduced in the 2028/29 academic year.

The International Student Levy will require higher education providers to pay a flat fee of £925 per international student per year, with proceeds being fully reinvested into higher education and skills. This will make sure that revenue from international students directly benefits domestic students from low-income households.

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) vouchers and (b) tax rebates to parents who send children to independent schools of a value less than the cost to the public purse per year of putting a pupil through a state school on (i) the cost to the public purse, (ii) class sizes in state schools, (iii) the wellbeing of state school pupils subject to bullying and (d) pupils with SEND.

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

The department does not hold this information. Decisions on private school fees are for private schools to make as private businesses. Matters of taxation are for HMRC.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the annual impact of one child attending an independent school on the public purse.

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

The department does not hold this information. Decisions on private school fees are for private schools to make as private businesses. Matters of taxation are for HMRC.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of organisations on the register of licensed sponsors have sponsored visas a) in the last 10 years and b) since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office publishes data on Visa Sponsors that are B rated in the ‘Register of licensed sponsors: workers - GOV.UK’.

Please note - published data shows the number of licensed sponsors over time but does not include the number of visas associated with each organisation.

The Home Office publishes data on the number of visas sponsored by organisations over the past 10 years, as well as data since 4 July 2024, in the ‘Migration transparency data - GOV.UK’.

Data on the number of visas sponsored by licensed organisations is published in table SP_01 of the ‘Sponsorship transparency data: July to September 2025’.

Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data is from 2014 Q1 up to the end of 2025 Q3.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visa-sponsoring organisations are B-rated; and how many visas those organisations sponsored as of October 2025.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office publishes data on Visa Sponsors that are B rated in the ‘Register of licensed sponsors: workers - GOV.UK’.

Please note - published data shows the number of licensed sponsors over time but does not include the number of visas associated with each organisation.

The Home Office publishes data on the number of visas sponsored by organisations over the past 10 years, as well as data since 4 July 2024, in the ‘Migration transparency data - GOV.UK’.

Data on the number of visas sponsored by licensed organisations is published in table SP_01 of the ‘Sponsorship transparency data: July to September 2025’.

Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data is from 2014 Q1 up to the end of 2025 Q3.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many primary schools do not have a library.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

I refer the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire to the answer of 22 October 2025 to Question ​​81502​.​

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the press release entitled Record numbers of visa sponsor licences revoked for rule breaking, published on 11 September 2025, how many of those license revocations resulted in visa holders leaving the UK.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office does not publish data linking visa holder returns to licence revocations. However, general returns data is available and has been referenced instead.

The Home Office publishes returns data from the UK in the ‘Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK’.

Returns data from the UK can be found in table RET_D01 of the ‘Returns detailed datasets, year ending September 2025’.

Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data is from 2024 Q1 to 2025 Q3.

The Home Office publishes data on Visa Sponsors that are subject to suspension and revocation action in the ‘Migration transparency data - GOV.UK’.

Data on suspension and revocations for Visa Sponsors are published in table SC_01 of the ‘Sponsorship transparency data: July to September 2025’

Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data is from 2012 Q1 up to 2025 Q3.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visa sponsors have been a) suspended, b) revoked and c) issued with a warning since 4 July 2024 by i) visa route and ii) month.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office does not publish data linking visa holder returns to licence revocations. However, general returns data is available and has been referenced instead.

The Home Office publishes returns data from the UK in the ‘Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK’.

Returns data from the UK can be found in table RET_D01 of the ‘Returns detailed datasets, year ending September 2025’.

Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data is from 2024 Q1 to 2025 Q3.

The Home Office publishes data on Visa Sponsors that are subject to suspension and revocation action in the ‘Migration transparency data - GOV.UK’.

Data on suspension and revocations for Visa Sponsors are published in table SC_01 of the ‘Sponsorship transparency data: July to September 2025’

Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data is from 2012 Q1 up to 2025 Q3.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many civil penalties have been issued to employers sponsoring workers under work‑related visa routes since 4 July 2024 by a) visa route and b) sector.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Information on illegal working civil penalty statistics has been published since 2016 as part of the Home Office Immigration Transparency Data. This can be found at immigration-enforcement-data-jul-sep-2025 on tab CP02.

To identify specific employers sponsoring workers under work‑related visa routes would require collating and verifying individual data from different records, which could only be achieved at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the average number of dependent visas sponsored by Minister of Religion visa holders.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office publishes data on dependants sponsored by holders of Minister of Religion visas in the ‘Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK’.

Data on dependants sponsored by holders of Minister of Religion visas is published in table Data_Vis_D02 of the ‘Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes detailed datasets, year ending September 2025’.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases of (a) suspected and (b) confirmed exploitation involving holders of work‑related visas have been recorded since 4 July 2024 by (i) visa route and (ii) month.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Home Office publishes data on Visa Sponsors that are B rated in the ‘Register of licensed sponsors: workers - GOV.UK’.

Please note - published data shows the number of licensed sponsors over time but does not include the number of visas associated with each organisation.

The Home Office publishes data on the number of visas sponsored by organisations over the past 10 years, as well as data since 4 July 2024, in the ‘Migration transparency data - GOV.UK’.

Data on the number of visas sponsored by licensed organisations is published in table SP_01 of the ‘Sponsorship transparency data: July to September 2025’.

Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data is from 2014 Q1 up to the end of 2025 Q3.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department monitors divorce filings to check visa compliance for family visa holders.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Family migration must be based on a genuine and subsisting relationships. The current probationary period before a spouse or partner can apply for settlement is a minimum of 5 years and requires more than one grant of permission to enter or stay to test whether a relationship is genuine and continuing to subsist.

If the marriage or partnership breaks down permanently while the migrant partner still has limited permission to stay, or once the migrant partner has obtained settlement, the sponsoring partner can write to the Home Office and provide any information relevant to the migrant partner’s continued immigration status.

The Home Office will consider this information and may cancel the former partner’s permission or revoke any settled status if it can be established this permission was obtained by deception.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many immigrants found to have been working illegally since 2020 have been making National Insurance payments.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office does not hold the data you have requested.

The Home Office takes the issue of illegal working seriously and continues to take robust enforcement action against those who breach immigration laws.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether stations on the Marston Vale Line will have step free access and boarding when EWR services between Oxford and Bedford begin.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

All new and fully refurbished stations delivered as part of East West Rail will be designed to meet modern accessibility standards including step free access and new trains commissioned as part of the East West Rail project will offer step-free boarding. An update on timing for the delivery of infrastructure and services for East West Rail will be provided in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities will have lower funding from Government grants in 2028-29 than 2024-25.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

We are investing in local government. The Spending Review 2025 provides over £5 billion of new grant funding over the next three years, which includes £3.4 billion of new grant funding delivered through the Local Government Finance Settlement for 2026-27 to 2028-29.

Core Spending Power is the government’s measure of the resources available to local authorities to fund service delivery through the Local Government Finance Settlement. By 2028-29, we will have made available a 23.6% increase in Core Spending Power compared to 2024-25, worth over £16 billion. The vast majority of upper-tier councils will see their Core Spending Power increase in real terms over the next three-years.

Detailed local authority allocations were published through the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2026-2027 to 2028-2029 and are being consulted on until 14 January 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of updating planning validation checklists to require Soil Impact Assessments for major housing developments.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is currently consulting on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), including policies designed to encourage a more consistent and proportionate approach to local information requirements (local validation lists).

The consultation can be found on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press release entitled Mayors and councillors to access LGPS under reforms, published on 13 October 2025, whether he has made an estimate of the cost to the public purse of that policy.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

As set out in the consultation on access to the LGPS for mayors and councillors, the Government Actuary’s Department has estimated the cost at £40-45 million per year.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press release entitled £84 million injection to tackle homelessness, updated on 10 October 2025, what the allocations are for each local authority.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 82789 on 27 October 2025.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many a) Government Departments and b) arms length bodies are registered to sponsor visas.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office does not hold any data on public sector entities that are licensed to sponsor visas. A precise list of organisations licensed to sponsor workers on the Worker and Temporary Worker immigration routes can be found by searching the government’s register of licensed sponsors on gov.uk.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 21 October 2025 to written question 81547, what proportion of those are aged 22 or over.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

In line with Civil Service reporting, age specific data was collected in age brackets so it’s not possible to confirm the proportion that were aged 22 or over. However, we can confirm 85% of 1,635 Level 7 apprentices across the Civil Service noted in the answer of 21 October 2025 to written question 81547 were aged 25 or above.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what proportion of the Social and Affordable Housing Programme will be spent in new towns.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many school places per head he is targeting for new towns.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many GPs per head he is targeting for new towns.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prison officers hold work visas.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The requested data is not held centrally in a reportable format.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will impose a duty on the National Energy System Operator to inform hon. Members of connection applications in their constituencies.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Network connection applications are confidential to the parties involved before the point of a contract being signed, but details of generation and storage transmission connection agreements are published in the Transmission Entry Capacity Register TEC Register | National Energy System Operator. The equivalent for Interconnector projects is at Interconnector Register | National Energy System Operator.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the change in the level of taxation for the average pub between 2024 and 2029.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

I refer the hon. Members to the answer given to UIN 101363.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to publish the Road Safety Strategy.

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

On 7 January 2026, we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all.

The Strategy sets an ambitious target to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on British roads by 65% by 2035. This target will focus the efforts of road safety partners across Britain, with measures to protect vulnerable road users, update vehicle safety technologies and review motoring offences. All of this will be supported and monitored by a new Road Safety Board chaired by the Minister for Local Transport.

Road safety is a shared responsibility, and this strategy reflects that. It considers action needed by government, local authorities, industry, emergency services and communities to tackle the causes of collisions and save lives. By investing in infrastructure, education, and enforcement, we are taking decisive steps to make our roads safer for everyone.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press release entitled Raising a glass: Beloved village pubs to be helped with new funding to broaden their services, published on 18 October 2025, whether he plans to bring forward planning reforms to allow pubs to more easily construct new premises to achieve those goals.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is currently consulting on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), including policies which would give substantial weight to proposals that provide new or improved community facilities such as public houses and safeguards against the loss of existing public houses.

The consultation can be found on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of making soil a material consideration in planning law.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and Planning Practice Guidance are material considerations in the planning process.

The NPPF makes clear that planning policies and decisions should contribute to and enhance the natural and local environment by protecting and enhancing sites of geological value and soils. It also stipulates that development proposals should ensure that a site is suitable for its proposed use, taking account of ground conditions and any risks arising from land instability and contamination.

Guidance is clear that soil is an essential natural capital asset that provides important ecosystem services.

The government is currently consulting on changes to the NPPF, including policies relating to the natural environment and pollution. The consultation can be found on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress he has made against his house building targets.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 19066 on 20 December 2024.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has conducted a lessons learned review of new settlements commenced since 2000 in the context of his plans for New Towns.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will direct Integrated Care Boards to fund GP provision in new towns in the context of the work of the New Towns Taskforce.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of the work of the New Towns Taskforce.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many locations for new towns he plans to bring to development corporation stage by 2029.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an estimate of the proportion of local authorities whose five year land supply is based on housing targets published in December 2024.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

For the purpose of calculating their five-year housing land supply, local planning authorities with up-to-date local development plans are assessed against their adopted plan requirement.

LPAs without up-to-date development plans are assessed against Local Housing Need, calculated using the revised standard method published in December 2024.

While the Planning Inspectorate may be aware of an authority’s five-year housing land supply position at the time of a specific appeal, this may change over time due to annual updates or as a result of subsequent planning appeal decisions. As such, my Department does not collect live data on the five-year housing land supply position of individual local planning authorities.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether local authorities who have begun local plans which will not be submitted by December 2026 should continue with those plans.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The latest available figures show that only 27% of local planning authorities have adopted a plan in the last five years.

In order to deliver the homes and growth the country needs, we expect all local planning authorities to make every effort to get up-to-date local plans in place as soon as possible. As a government, we have made a clear commitment to achieving universal local plan coverage. To that end, we have been clear that we intend to drive local plans to adoption as quickly as possible.

The government is committed to taking tough action to ensure local authorities have up-to-date local plans in place. The law provides intervention powers for the government to take action to ensure that plans are progressed. Any decisions taken in relation to intervention in plan-making are considered on a case-by-case basis and take into account local circumstances.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities have up-to-date Local Plans.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The latest available figures show that only 27% of local planning authorities have adopted a plan in the last five years.

In order to deliver the homes and growth the country needs, we expect all local planning authorities to make every effort to get up-to-date local plans in place as soon as possible. As a government, we have made a clear commitment to achieving universal local plan coverage. To that end, we have been clear that we intend to drive local plans to adoption as quickly as possible.

The government is committed to taking tough action to ensure local authorities have up-to-date local plans in place. The law provides intervention powers for the government to take action to ensure that plans are progressed. Any decisions taken in relation to intervention in plan-making are considered on a case-by-case basis and take into account local circumstances.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many houses are planned to be built in the next five years in England.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 19066 on 20 December 2024.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what changes he made to Departmental budgets in the Autumn Budget 2025 to fund the a) infrastructure and b) services required for new towns.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether development corporations for new towns will be able to purchase primary residences.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if his Department will make additional infrastructure funding available to Central Bedfordshire Council for the Tempsford and Milton Keynes New Towns.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has considered the potential implications for his policies of paragraph 31 of page 8 of the New Towns Taskforce report to Government.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the localised flooding risk in each of the sites recommended by the New Towns Taskforce.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the New Towns Taskforce consulted flooding experts.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the take-up of AI on unemployment.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

We know that AI is transforming workplaces, demanding new skills and augmenting old ones, but its future scale remains uncertain. Government is planning against a range of plausible outcomes and monitoring data closely. Our goal is to ensure access to good, meaningful work while harnessing AI’s benefits to boost growth, productivity, living standards and worker wellbeing, and mitigate risks.

The Get Britain Working White Paper outlines how government will address labour market challenges and spread opportunity and economic prosperity that AI presents to the British public. We are also supporting workforce readiness through providing streamlined access to digital training through the AI Skills Hub and partnering with 11 major companies to train 7.5 million UK workers in essential AI skills by 2030.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the press release entitled People across UK to benefit from easier access to local services as councils get digital boost, published on 22 November 2025, what proportion of GDS Local’s work will be with County and District Councils in a) 2025-26, b) 2026-27 and c) 2027-28.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

GDS Local is a new unit within the Government Digital Service that brings central and local government together to improve how digital public services are designed and delivered.

GDS Local has a mandate to support all councils and local authorities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, including County and District Councils. It is currently developing its strategic objectives and delivery plans to ensure people across the UK benefit from easier access to local services, including supporting the ambitions in the Blueprint for Modern Digital Government.

At this time, no specific proportion of work has been allocated to County and District Councils for future financial years, as the unit intends to take a whole-system approach to supporting local government across the UK. This includes working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Local Government Association to support County and District Councils going through Local Government Reorganisation.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether stewardship models involving ongoing service charges for residents will be considered for new towns.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department will produce guidance on reducing long term flood risk in new towns.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether social housing delivered through new towns will be owned by local authorities.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to implement Recommendation 44 of the New Towns Taskforce report to Government.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if his Department will ask the Local Government Boundary Commission for England to vary local authorities' boundaries where they would be spanned by a new town.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Milton Keynes New Town recommended by the New Towns Taskforce will include any areas in Central Bedfordshire Council.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will estimate the proportion of the Tempsford New Town that will be in Central Bedfordshire Council.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, who will adjudicate if neighbouring authorities cannot reach agreements on unmet housing need in the context of planning reforms.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Planning inspectors will examine new Spatial Development Strategies and will continue to examine plans in line with the policies in the National Planning Policy Framework.

Found: Richmond Park) Tristan Osborne (Labour; Chatham and Aylesford) Michael Payne (Labour; Gedling) Blake Stephenson

Found: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Chair); Mr Clive Betts; Sarah Green; Rupert Lowe; Catherine McKinnell; Blake Stephenson

Found: Stratford-on-Avon) Martin Rhodes (Labour; Glasgow North) Dr Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat; South Cotswolds) Blake Stephenson

Found: Richmond Park) Tristan Osborne (Labour; Chatham and Aylesford) Michael Payne (Labour; Gedling) Blake Stephenson

Found: Richmond Park) Tristan Osborne (Labour; Chatham and Aylesford) Michael Payne (Labour; Gedling) Blake Stephenson

Air pollution is a serious threat to both public health and the natural environment. It has been linked to heart disease, strokes, cancer, asthma and impacts on lung development in children. Tens of thousands of lives are being shortened in the UK by air pollution, according to the Chair of the Environment Agency.