Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the answer of 2 March 2026 to question 115655, what safeguards and checks the DVLA has in place to ensure the 1,840 number plate suppliers who have been struck off the register of number plate suppliers since 2020 cannot successfully re-apply to become a registered supplier.

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

The 1,840 suppliers who were removed from the Register of Number Plate Suppliers (RNPS) since 2020 includes those suppliers who were removed voluntarily, suppliers that have ceased trading and those whose removal was ordered by a court.

Suppliers who were removed from the RNPS voluntarily or because they have ceased trading can re-register at any time. Removals from the RNPS ordered by a court are usually for a fixed period, up to a maximum of five years.

If the DVLA is aware that removal from the RNPS has been ordered by a court, the supplier will not be able to rejoin the register until the length of the exclusion ordered by the court has expired.

When a supplier applies to join the RNPS, checks are carried out against the business and individual’s name(s) and address to confirm if they have previously been on the RNPS. This ensures number plate suppliers whose removal from the RNPS was ordered by a court cannot successfully re-apply to become a registered supplier during their removal period.

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 half the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

It is a priority for the Government to halve the gap between the richest and the poorest regions and to ensure that everyone, no matter where they are born, lives well for longer. We recognise that recently released Office for National Statistics Data on Healthy Life Expectancy (HLE) data is concerning and there is more we need to do.

We are tackling the root causes of the HLE gap, focusing on key prevention policies such as reducing obesity and smoking, improving NHS access and outcomes, and through coordinated cross‑Government action on wider determinants like air quality and fuel poverty.

A core mission of the 10-Year Health Plan is to reduce the persistent inequalities that shape people’s health. The plan’s three shifts all serve one purpose, to improve outcomes for the communities who face the greatest disadvantage.

We are working across Government to ensure health is embedded in the policies that shape people’s daily lives, from the homes they live in to the air they breathe. Recent cross-Government action includes the Warm Homes Plan, the Keep Britain Working Review, and the Homelessness Strategy.

We are also taking a range of cross-Government action to tackle health inequality. This includes the introduction of Awaab’s Law, ensuring landlords will have to fix significant damp and mould hazards, and legislating for a new statutory health and health inequalities duty for strategic authorities.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, after factoring in the national decline in healthy life expectancy referenced in the answer of 3 March 2026 to Question 115639, for what reason Sandwell has seen a further decline in HLE for men and women since 2020.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

According to the Office for National Statistics, the COVID-19 pandemic led to increased mortality during 2020, 2021, and 2022, and explains the national decline observed in healthy life expectancy (HLE) since 2020. Some negative impact remains in the latest reporting period, from 2022 to 2024. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthandlifeexpectancies/bulletins/healthstatelifeexpectanciesuk/between2011to2013and2022to2024

HLE at birth for Sandwell stood at 51.3 years for females and 52.7 years for males for the latest period 2022 to 2024. This compares to 61.3 and 60.9 years for females and males respectively, for England.

HLE is a broad summary measure of population health, combining mortality rates and self-reported health, at various ages. This can make it difficult to interpret the reasons behind the changes observed, especially as HLE is known to be influenced by a wide range of social, economic, environmental, and behavioural factors.

The Government recognises that health inequalities can widen if access and quality of healthcare are worse where need is greatest. Therefore, over the course of our 10-Year Health Plan, we aim to establish a Neighbourhood Health Centre in every community, transforming healthcare access by bringing historically hospital-based services into communities and addressing wider determinants of health through services like debt advice, employment support, and obesity management programmes.

Nationwide coverage will take time, but we will start in the areas of greatest need where healthy life expectancy is lowest, including rural towns and communities with higher deprivation levels and delivering healthcare closer to home for those that need it the most.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the answer of 3 March 2026 to question 115639, what factors are behind the national decline in healthy life expectancy since 2020.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

According to the Office for National Statistics, the COVID-19 pandemic led to increased mortality during 2020, 2021, and 2022, and explains the national decline observed in healthy life expectancy (HLE) since 2020. Some negative impact remains in the latest reporting period, from 2022 to 2024. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthandlifeexpectancies/bulletins/healthstatelifeexpectanciesuk/between2011to2013and2022to2024

HLE at birth for Sandwell stood at 51.3 years for females and 52.7 years for males for the latest period 2022 to 2024. This compares to 61.3 and 60.9 years for females and males respectively, for England.

HLE is a broad summary measure of population health, combining mortality rates and self-reported health, at various ages. This can make it difficult to interpret the reasons behind the changes observed, especially as HLE is known to be influenced by a wide range of social, economic, environmental, and behavioural factors.

The Government recognises that health inequalities can widen if access and quality of healthcare are worse where need is greatest. Therefore, over the course of our 10-Year Health Plan, we aim to establish a Neighbourhood Health Centre in every community, transforming healthcare access by bringing historically hospital-based services into communities and addressing wider determinants of health through services like debt advice, employment support, and obesity management programmes.

Nationwide coverage will take time, but we will start in the areas of greatest need where healthy life expectancy is lowest, including rural towns and communities with higher deprivation levels and delivering healthcare closer to home for those that need it the most.