Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of Government procurement spending went to SMEs in the South West in the last financial year.

Answered by Chris Ward

The Cabinet Office does not hold a central record of regional procurement spending for SMEs, meaning the figure for spend to SMEs in the South West last year is unavailable.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many businesses in the South West have received support through the British Business Bank.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The British Business Bank reports that its South West Investment Fund has supported 203 businesses across the South West since its launch. The Fund has provided £51.8 million in direct investment and attracted a further £48.1 million in private sector funding, resulting in 218 completed deals. Together, this has helped drive almost £100 million of investment into new and growing businesses across the region.

UK businesses, including those in the South West, also receive support via the British Business Bank’s national and regional programmes. These include the Start Up Loans programme, the Growth Guarantee Scheme, and the Community ENABLE Funding programme.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many young people taking part in the Youth Guarantee trailblazer programme have secured (i) a job, (ii) study and (iii) training in (a) Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, (b) East Midlands, (c) Liverpool City region (d) London, (e) Tees Valley, (f) West Midlands and (g) West of England.

Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Education are working closely with Mayoral Strategic Authorities across England who are delivering the eight Youth Trailblazers announced in the Get Britain Working white paper.

Youth Guarantee Trailblazers are creating a more seamless local offer that provides young people with a clear pathway into training or employment opportunities. This includes addressing gaps in provision where these are identified, through for example creating bespoke employment support or work placement programmes. It also involves systemic change through strengthening local coordination, working with partners to better connect young people with the full range of education, employment and training opportunities; for example, through the development of digital platforms and strengthening links between local services.

The Government has commissioned an evaluation of the Youth Guarantee Trailblazers to provide a fuller understanding of the impact of the programme which will be published in due course.

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 provide guidance on the welfare of animals during a hosepipe bans.

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

Defra’s Codes of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs, Cats and Horses advise owners about the importance of temperature control to avoid them becoming too hot or too cold, as well as not leaving them in unsuitable places like conservatories and vehicles during hot weather.

Animal welfare groups such as the RSPCA and Dogs Trust, and the British Veterinary Association provide advice to owners on how to look after pets in hot weather. Advice includes keeping animals in the shade where possible, keeping them hydrated, going for walks when it’s cooler and testing the temperature of pavements with one’s hand before walks.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many publicly-funded adult education classes were provided in each year since 2023.

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

The number of publicly funded adult education classes is not held by the department.

The number of adult learners undertaking education and training learning in England is published in the Further education and skills accredited official statistics publication, available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/further-education-and-skills/2025-26. Whilst there is a requirement for how many hours of learning that must be given to each learner, it is up to the individual providers how many ‘classes’ they run.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will introduce a respiratory Modern Service Framework.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson

The Government will consider long-term conditions for future waves of modern service frameworks (MSFs), including respiratory conditions. The criteria for determining other conditions for future MSFs will be based on where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in quality of care and productivity. After the initial wave of MSFs is complete, the National Quality Board will determine the conditions to prioritise for new MSFs as part of its work programme.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress her Department has made on reducing deaths and serious injuries caused by drink-driving.

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

The Government is committed to reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads.

The latest available statistics show that, in 2023, there was a central estimate of 260 fatalities and around 1,860 people killed or seriously injured in collisions involving at least one driver or rider over the legal alcohol limit. Both figures decreased compared with 2022 but remained higher than in 2013.

In January 2026, the Government published its Road Safety Strategy, setting an ambition to reduce deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s roads by 65% by 2035. As part of this, we have consulted on measures to tackle drink‑driving, including lowering the legal alcohol limit and strengthening enforcement. We are currently considering the responses received.

The Government also continues to run THINK! campaigns and work with police, the hospitality sector and other partners to reinforce the message that drivers should not drink before getting behind the wheel.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding Sports England has provided to Development Sports; and what estimate has been made of how many people will use this programme.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The Sport for Development Coalition received Sport England National Lottery funding between March 2022 and December 2025 totalling £773,334.

Rather than delivering programmes itself, the Coalition acts as the collective voice for the sport-for-development sector. As a result, it is not possible to quantify direct programme participation or user numbers attributable to the Coalition itself.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what demographic data her Department plans to collect on the number of Respect Orders issued.

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

Through the Crime and Policing Act 2026, The Home Office is introducing a mandatory anti-social behaviour (ASB) data reporting duty to improve our understanding of ASB and how it is being tackled locally, which will include use of Respect Orders. The first set of regulations will require local authorities to report data on ASB incident volumes, the use of ASB powers and interventions, and ASB Case Review numbers and outcomes.

The Home Office is currently developing arrangements for the monitoring and evaluation of Respect Orders, including the data that will be collected. Further information will be announced in due course.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of heritage railways on the economy.

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

The Government does not hold data on the economic impact of heritage railways on the UK economy.

DCMS official statistics currently uses the Standard Industry Classification (SIC) code 91.03 Operation of historic sites and similar visitor attractions as a narrow proxy for the heritage sector. In 2024, the SIC code Operation of historic sites and similar visitor attractions contributed an estimated 10,000 jobs with a Gross Value Added estimated at £0.8 billion.

Historic England, Government statutory advisors on the historic environment, estimated England's heritage sector overall contributed £15.3 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA) to the UK economy in 2022, with a total estimated employment of 201,000 workers.

The Heritage Railway Association, the largest heritage rail trade body, values the economic contribution of the UK's heritage rail sector at roughly £600 million annually. This sum is generated through tourism, local business spending, and the support of thousands of jobs and volunteers across the country.

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 trends in the level of digital exclusion among older people.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)

The Government’s ambition is simple: everyone, whatever their circumstances, should be able to get connected and get online, safely and with confidence

In 2025, 20% of those aged 75+ do not have home internet access compared to 5% across all age groups. Those aged 75+ are also less likely to have the foundational level of digital skills (54%) compared to the general population (85%). This has however improved by 23 percentage points since 2022, when only 31% of those aged 75+ had foundational level digital skills.

In the year since the Digital Inclusion Action Plan was published in 2025, over a million people have been connected or supported to get online, more than 22,000 people have received a free device, and communities across the UK have benefited from the £11.9 million Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund. This includes Age UK’s Digital Champion Programme providing digital skills and devices across England.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many responses to the Timms Review have been received from people living in the South West.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)

The Timms Review Call for Evidence was open to anyone who wished to contribute and received over 38,000 responses. The response form did not ask participants to provide information about their geographic location. Therefore, we do not hold the data requested in relation to the Call for Evidence.

While we cannot provide a figure on participation from different regions, the Review encouraged responses from disabled people and representative organisations across the United Kingdom.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of local infrastructure to support new housing developments like those at the former Grange school site in Warmley, and what guidance is given to local councils on assessing infrastructure impact when approving developments of this scale.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 112724 on 3 March 2026.

The consultation on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which can be found on gov.uk here, closed on 10 March 2026. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in the summer.

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 potential merits geothermal heat systems which use the water in flooded former coalmines.

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

I refer the hon Member to the answer given to him on 20^th October 2025 to Question UIN 7797.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on how many occasions the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has withdrawn driving licences after receiving notification that the licence holder was medically unfit to drive in the last 5 years.

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

It is vital for road safety that, when the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is made aware of a condition that could affect an individual’s ability to drive safely, they ensure that the required medical standards are met before a licence is issued.

The table below shows the number of Group 1 (car and motorcycle) and Group 2 (bus and lorry) driving licences that were revoked or an application refused between 2021 and 2025. Driving licences can be revoked or an application refused following a medical investigation carried out when the DVLA is informed of a medical condition by either the licence holder or a third party. A licence holder who had both Group 1 and Group 2 driving entitlements revoked or refused will be included in the figures for both groups.

Please note that the figures for 2025 are currently incomplete. The figure in the table above reflects those cases that can currently be accurately categorised as revoked or refused in 2025.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many fixed penalty notices for school absences were issued in Bath, North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire in the last academic year.

Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

For unauthorised school absences during the 2024/25 academic year, Bath and North East Somerset issued 1,014 penalty notices and South Gloucestershire issued 2,043 penalty notices.

A new national framework for penalty notices came into effect from August 2024 designed to embed our support-first approach and improve consistency and fairness across the country.

Our statutory guidance on attendance makes clear that legal intervention, including prosecution, should only be considered where support has been exhausted, not engaged with or, in the cases of term-time holidays, is not appropriate. The guidance sets out clear expectations on how schools, local authorities and wider services should work together to support attendance for all children.

Found: Innovation, growth and the regions Mayor Dan Norris, Mayor of the West of England; Cllr.