Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average number of days taken by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to reach a licensing decision was in cases where a medical condition required investigation, in each month from January 2024 to April 2026.

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

The table below shows the average number of days to make a licensing decision for driving licence applications where a medical condition required investigation before a licence could be issued in each month from January 2024 to March 2026. The final figures for April 2026 are not yet available.

Driving licence applications where a medical condition(s) must be investigated before a licence can be issued can take longer than applications where there is no medical condition as the DVLA is often reliant on information from third parties, including medical professionals, before a licence can be issued.

The DVLA has seen sustained growth in the volume and complexity of medical licence applications, increasing waiting times for some customers. To improve its services, the DVLA has introduced a new casework system and launched a new medical services portal, so most customers can now apply online through the DVLA’s driver and vehicles account. Details on how to sign up for an account can be found at www.gov.uk/driver-vehicles-account.

These enhancements alongside the recruitment of additional staff to deal with these applications and answer telephone calls will deliver real improvements in services and turnaround times for customers.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of equipping all police cars with defibrillators.

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

Provision of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in police vehicles is currently an operational matter for police forces to decide at local level. I have had several meetings on the value of equipping all police cars with defibrillators and I am carefully considering next steps.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the number of people who were employed in the automotive manufacturing sector in each month since September 2025 up to and including the most recent month for which figures are available.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Rt. Hon. Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 14th April is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people aged 18 and over immigrated to the UK in each year from 2022 to 2025 from (a) Pakistan, (b) Kuwait, (c) Afghanistan, (d) Qatar, (e) the United Arab Emirates, (f) Sudan, (g) Mauritania, (h) Iraq, (i) Yemen, (j) Iran, (k) Saudi Arabia, (l) Libya, (m) Oman, (n) Syria, (o) Bahrain, (p) Egypt, (q) Jordan, (r) Guinea, (s) Lebanon, (t) Sri Lanka, (u) Algeria, (v) Turkey, (w) Tunisia, (x) Nigeria, (y) Morocco, (z) Bangladesh, (aa) Israel and (ab) India by nationality.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Rt. Hon. Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 20th April is attached.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 118920, if she will develop new Outline Business Cases for a) the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement and b) Haughley Junction upgrades and c) whether she has plans to undertake a BCR assessment for the dualling of single sections of the Clitheroe to Manchester Victoria line.

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

The Government’s commitment to a significant programme of railway investment was announced as part of Spending Review 2025. We will set out our plans for further investment in rail infrastructure in due course.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2026 to Question 122316, whether the Government plans to resume the York Area Capacity and Performance Project.

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

Following the conclusion of the Spending Review, the Department is working closely with Network Rail and key stakeholders to develop a sustainable long-term strategy for the East Coast Main Line, aligned with emerging plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail. This work will consider potential investment opportunities at key locations across the route, such as York.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2026 to Question 120879 on DfT Operator: Training, whether her Department plans to provide funding through DfT Operator Limited to increase the number of rail training places.

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

There are no plans to provide funding to DfT Operator Limited specifically for rail training places as part of the Department’s funding of train services. It is up to the train operating companies to establish their own training requirements and fund these through the budgets agreed.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2026 to Question 908536 on Road Works: Compensation, if her Department plans to approve further lane rental schemes in 2026.

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

Legislation is being laid shortly to bring seven new lane rental schemes into force. We are also devolving approval powers to mayoral authorities, with further applications continuing to be assessed.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what expenditure has Network Rail undertaken on public affairs companies, and for what purposes, since 4 July 2024.

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

From July 2024 to March 2026, Network Rail spent £372,914 on its Stakeholder Engagement Services contract.

This contract supports Network Rail's duties as a public body to ensure that a wide range of statutory consultees, national and regional representatives are informed of the work to operate and improve the rail network.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to Cabinet Office: Government Procurement Card spend over £500 - March 2025, published 24 April 2025, for what reason the £811 payment to Women in Product UK was not listed in the Cabinet Office’s list of exempted Civil Service 2024/2025 External Expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office published all the external expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion provided by departments under the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Guidance on 30 May 2025.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Question 120022 from the hon. Member for Twickenham.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The response to this Written Parliamentary Question has been issued.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Question 121472 from the hon. Member for Newport West and Islwyn.

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

The responses to these Written Parliamentary Questions have been issued.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Question 120510 from the hon. Member for North East Hampshire.

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

The responses to these Written Parliamentary Questions have been issued.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2025 to Question 39574 on Katharine Birbalsingh, when the final note was shared.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Question 121538 from the hon. Member for Poole.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The responses to these Written Parliamentary Questions have been issued.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Question 121539 from the hon. Member for Poole.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The responses to these Written Parliamentary Questions have been issued.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2026 to Question 125015 on Immobilisation of Vehicles, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of immobilisation devices unlawfully removed from vehicles.

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

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) works closely with its national wheel clamping contractor to monitor where wheel clamps have been forcibly removed and to identify patterns of concern.

When a vehicle is clamped, the registered keeper can secure the vehicle’s release by paying the required fee within 24 hours. In areas where the unlawful removal of immobilisation devices is a known issue the contractor will, where possible, immediately remove vehicles to reduce the risk of the clamp being removed unlawfully.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition systems alert enforcement officers where there is a previous history of the clamp being removed so that immediate removal of the vehicle can be arranged.

Measures to strengthen the securing chains on wheel clamps are also being considered to increase resistance to tampering. While this will not completely prevent deliberate damage, it is expected to significantly increase the time required to remove a clamp and so increase the likelihood of the offender being detected.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 April 2025, to Question 41645, on Cabinet Office: Email, what are the automatic deletion policies for non-Ministerial inboxes for officials currently in post in the Cabinet Office, where individual emails are not intentionally selected for long-term storage.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2025 to Question 30828 on 9 Downing Street: Media, which scheduled transparency return will publish the OCS invoice; and on which date.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Question 122254 from the hon. Member for Meriden and Solihull East.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The response to this Written Parliamentary Question has been issued.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Question 120198 from the hon. Member for Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The responses to these Written Parliamentary Questions have been issued.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Question 121840 from the hon. Member for Meriden and Solihull East.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The responses to these Written Parliamentary Questions have been issued.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to respond to Question 119486 from the Rt Hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Question 121893 from the hon. Member for Hinckley and Bosworth.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The responses to these Written Parliamentary Questions have been issued.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 111852, if he will list the seven approvals granted for branded items since 24 April 2025, including for each (a) the department or business unit, (b) the description of the branded item, (c) the purpose of the expenditure, and (d) the total cost.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Question 120365 from the hon. Member for Kingswinford and South Staffordshire.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reasons the National Vocational Qualification for Pilots was removed in 1999 and what consideration has been made of introducing a new qualification that is not subject to VAT for pilot training

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Question 120248 from the hon. Member for Windsor.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2026 to Question 113349, which Department is responsible for assessing the economic impact of passenger delays at UK border control points on tourism, aviation and wider business activity.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will set out (a) which modern foreign languages are currently available as GCSE and A level qualifications in England; (b) which European languages are not currently available as GCSE or A level qualifications; and (c) what criteria are used by her Department and by awarding bodies in determining whether a language qualification should be offered at GCSE and A level.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to respond to Question 111850 from the Rt Hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

A response has been issued here.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 120039 on Department for Transport: Aviation, if she will set out (a) what the purpose was of each such visit, (b) which Ministers or senior officials approved each visit, (c) how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade and (d) what the total cost was of each visit; and what assessment she has made of whether those engagements could have been conducted remotely or combined with other travel.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 120039 on Department for Transport: Aviation, what the purpose was of each flight to Netherlands Antilles; which Ministers and senior officials approved each visit; how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of each visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 120039 on Department for Transport: Aviation, what the purpose was of the flight to Colombia; which Ministers and senior officials approved the visit; how many officials travelled on that occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of the visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2026 to Question 125029 on Department for Transport: Annual Reports, in respect of the £398 million Capital DEL expenditure attributed to the Decarbonisation, Technology and Strategy Group in 2024-25, if she will publish (a) a breakdown of the projects and programmes funded, (b) the amount allocated to each project, (c) a description of the purpose and remit of that Group, including its organisational structure, and (d) the planned Capital DEL and Resource DEL budget for that Group in 2025-26.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 120039 on Department for Transport: Aviation, what the purpose was of the flight to Lebanon; which Ministers and senior officials approved the visit; how many officials travelled on that occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of the visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation