Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of police resources to tackle robbery in urban areas.

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

The Government is determined that robust action should be taken to prevent robbery from happening and ensure swift justice for perpetrators.

The central aim of our police reform agenda is to protect and revitalise neighbourhood policing. We are lifting national responsibilities off local forces, so they focus on tackling local issues.

The Government has already taken steps to boost the neighbourhood policing response, ensuring that every neighbourhood has named, contactable officers dedicated to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour locally, and forces have increased patrols in town centres and other key locations based on local demand and intelligence.

By the end of February 2026, forces had delivered more than 3,100 additional police officers and PCSOs into neighbourhood roles since March 2025, strengthening neighbourhood teams as part of our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee to deliver 13,000 more by the end of this Parliament.

Total funding to police forces will be up to £18.4 billion, an increase of up to £834 million compared to the 2025-26 police funding settlement. This equates to a 4.7% cash increase and a 2.7% real terms increase in funding.

All forces will receive a real terms increase in funding this year.

Through the Knife-Enabled Robbery Group, we are working with Chief Constables to roll out proven-to-work interventions targeted in the places where knife crime is highest, including large urban areas. Through this Group we have turned a 14% rise in knife-enabled robbery in these places into 15% reductions overall.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of violent robbery offences committed by persons under the age of 18; and what steps she is taking to tackle those trends.

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

This Government established a Knife-Enabled Robbery Taskforce in October 2024 to respond to surges of 14% of this violent form of robbery in the year before the General Election, a significant proportion of which involves young people. We brought together Chief Constables and policing partners from the seven areas which collectively accounted for approximately 70% of the national problem.

The Taskforce scrutinised police performance in real time and identified common solutions to shared operational challenges, including a specific focus on under-18 knife-enabled robbery along school routes and transport hubs.

The Knife-Enabled Robbery Group now continues this relentless effort, achieving promising results, with knife robberies now down by 15% overall across these seven areas (Oct 2025 vs year to June 2024). Knife robberies are also down nationally by 10%. These results demonstrate the impact of our targeted and evidence-led approach.

Our new Plan to Halve Knife Crime ‘Protecting Lives, Building Hope’ sets out how we will support young people and stop those at risk from turning to crime. This includes the roll out of over 50 Young Futures Panel pilots across England and Wales to identify thousands of children at high risk of knife crime who were falling through the gaps.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to enforce age restrictions on the (a) online and (b) offline sale of knives to persons under the age of 18.

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

On 7 April 2026 the Government published ‘Protecting Lives, Building Hope: A Plan to Halve Knife Crime’, which sets out how the Government is aiming to halve knife crime in the decade to 2034. We have been taking action in the Crime and Policing Bill, which is now in its final stages in Parliament, by increasing the penalty for sale of knives to those under 18 to a maximum of two years imprisonment and we have brought forward a number of new legislative measures to toughen our controls on the online sale of knives. They include introducing a new two-step age verification process for online sale and delivery of knives. This process stipulates the acceptable forms of identification to verify age at point of sale and on delivery and that parcels containing knives can only be delivered to the hands of the person who placed the order and they will have to show proof of age and identity on delivery.

The Government also launched a public consultation on 16 December 2025 to gather views on proposals to introduce a licensing scheme for those who sell knives, including importers, retailers and private sellers, making them subject to stronger regulations and conditions. Following the close of the consultation on 24 February 2026, the responses received are currently being considered and the Government response will be published in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to protect vulnerable and elderly people from violent street crime.

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

The central aim of our police reform agenda is to protect and revitalise neighbourhood policing. We are lifting national responsibilities off local forces, so they focus on tackling local issues.

The Government has already taken steps to boost the neighbourhood policing response, ensuring that every neighbourhood has named, contactable officers dedicated to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour locally, and forces have increased patrols in town centres and other key locations based on local demand and intelligence.

By the end of February 2026, forces had delivered more than 3,100 additional police officers and PCSOs into neighbourhood roles since March 2025, strengthening neighbourhood teams as part of our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee to deliver 13,000 more by the end of this Parliament.

In order to drive reductions in violent crime and protect communities across the country, on April 7th the Government launched its plan to halve knife crime within a decade. Titled “Protecting Lives, Building Hope: A Plan to Halve Knife Crime’, it will save lives, transform the futures of young people, stop those at risk from turning to knife crime and police our streets to catch and punish perpetrators.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of driving test appointment capacity in (a) Leicester, (b) Leicestershire and (c) the East Midlands; and what steps she is taking to reduce waiting times for practical driving tests in those areas.

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

The table below shows the March 2026 average waiting time for a car practical driving test. This data is based on the national average waiting time metric of when a minimum of 10% of test slots are available. The table also shows the number of tests booked and available at the driving test centres (DTCs) serving the East Midlands as of 20 April 2026.

Between June 2025 – March 2026, at the DTCs above, DVSA conducted 10,036 additional car practical driving tests in overtime, when compared to the equivalent overtime scheme between June 2024 – March 2025. This increase can largely be attributed to the additional test allowance scheme the agency introduced in June 2025.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the impact of the administration of National Car Parks Limited on city centre parking capacity in (a) Leicester and (b) England; and whether he is taking steps to mitigate reduced parking provision.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh

As administrator for National Car Parks Limited, PricewaterhouseCoopers is seeking to make the business viable and to avoid closures or job losses wherever possible. However, some sites that the administrator considered were not commercially viable have closed as part of the administration process. More information on the administrator’s plans for the relevant companies can be found on its website.

The government recognises that a number of these closures are in Leicester. Under the Traffic Management Act 2004, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that there is sufficient parking provision to support local communities and the prosperity of their town centres. Through the Local Government Finance Settlement, the government has made available up to £555.2 million in core spending power for Leicester City Council by 2028‑29, the majority of which is unringfenced and may be used at the authority’s discretion to meet local priorities.

The government is not responsible for local parking provision and has no current plans to provide additional financial or planning support to reopen closed private car parks, but will continue to monitor developments.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of recent closures of National Car Parks Limited sites in Leicester on (a) local businesses and (b) footfall in Leicester city centre.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh

As administrator for National Car Parks Limited, PricewaterhouseCoopers is seeking to make the business viable and to avoid closures or job losses wherever possible. However, some sites that the administrator considered were not commercially viable have closed as part of the administration process. More information on the administrator’s plans for the relevant companies can be found on its website.

The government recognises that a number of these closures are in Leicester. Under the Traffic Management Act 2004, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that there is sufficient parking provision to support local communities and the prosperity of their town centres. Through the Local Government Finance Settlement, the government has made available up to £555.2 million in core spending power for Leicester City Council by 2028‑29, the majority of which is unringfenced and may be used at the authority’s discretion to meet local priorities.

The government is not responsible for local parking provision and has no current plans to provide additional financial or planning support to reopen closed private car parks, but will continue to monitor developments.

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 provide (a) financial or (b) planning support to help local authorities bring closed private car parks back into operation.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh

As administrator for National Car Parks Limited, PricewaterhouseCoopers is seeking to make the business viable and to avoid closures or job losses wherever possible. However, some sites that the administrator considered were not commercially viable have closed as part of the administration process. More information on the administrator’s plans for the relevant companies can be found on its website.

The government recognises that a number of these closures are in Leicester. Under the Traffic Management Act 2004, local authorities are responsible for ensuring that there is sufficient parking provision to support local communities and the prosperity of their town centres. Through the Local Government Finance Settlement, the government has made available up to £555.2 million in core spending power for Leicester City Council by 2028‑29, the majority of which is unringfenced and may be used at the authority’s discretion to meet local priorities.

The government is not responsible for local parking provision and has no current plans to provide additional financial or planning support to reopen closed private car parks, but will continue to monitor developments.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2026 to WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of each flight to Brunei; 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)

Two officials, one Grade 6 and one SEO travelled to/from Brunei at a total cost of £5,374.73 which was signed off in advance by a Senior Civil Servant, in line with departmental policy. The purpose of the trip was to conduct detailed multilateral air services negotiations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to update air services arrangements. It was not possible to conduct these negotiations remotely.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of school workload on student mental health.

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

This government is committed to improving mental health support for all children and young people. This is critical to breaking down barriers to opportunity, and helping pupils to achieve and thrive in education.

The government is providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school by expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs), so every child and young person has access to early support to address problems before they escalate. By April 2026, we estimate that 60% of pupils in schools and learners in further education in England will be covered by an MHST, up from 52% in April 2025.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to raise attainment levels for disadvantaged students in (a) Leicester, (b) the East Midlands and (c) England.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The ‘Every child achieving and thriving’ White Paper establishes our plan to improve the outcomes of all children, building on support at home with a stretching, enriching and inclusive school experience. When children born under this government finish secondary school, it is our ambition that all children achieve higher standards and the disadvantage gap will be halved. This equates to 30,000 more disadvantaged young people passing their English and maths GCSEs than today.

We are driving standards through new regional improvement for standards and excellence teams, a refreshed high quality curriculum and assessment system and recruiting 6,500 additional teachers, as well as taking action to address barriers to learning.

Alongside this, schools continue to receive the pupil premium grant. In the 2026/27 financial year we will be providing £3.2 billion of pupil premium funding across all state-funded schools in England, an increase of 2.2% per pupil from the 2025/26 financial year. In the 2025/26 financial year Leicester received £23,112,193 of pupil premium funding, and the East Midlands received £260,716,608.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of bail conditions in reducing reoffending and protecting the public in cases involving persons under the age of 18 accused of violent offences.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

The Government is clear that when the courts are considering bail for children charged with violent offences, public protection should always be the foremost priority, alongside reducing the risk of offending. For children, there is the option of imposing Bail Intensive Support and Supervision which includes high levels of contact, monitoring, structured activity and in some cases electronic tags.

While evidence specifically on the effectiveness of different bail conditions on reducing offending or protection of the public is limited, there is evidence on the factors that reduce the chances of a child offending. The key principles of lowering the risk of offending include therapeutic rather than punitive responses, and family-based interventions that draw on community support and address wider needs, such as education and health. A strong and robust bail package is expected to address these key principles to ensure public safety.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of trends in the number of carers who are in poverty because they have accrued National Insurance credits through caring responsibilities but are not eligible for contributory working-age benefits.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Support for unpaid carers on low incomes is primarily provided through Universal Credit and Pension Credit, which include carer amounts in addition to the standard allowance or Standard Minimum Guarantee. These additions are worth up to £2,500 a year. In England and Wales, support is also available through Carer’s Allowance.

For those who are able to balance paid work with their caring responsibilities, this is also a means of increasing household income. It also contributes to the wellbeing of the carer, and to the skills available to employers. The Carer’s Leave Act 2023 gives employees a right to time off to provide care, and the Government will be consulting on further changes to care leave. The Employment Rights Act 2025 contains provisions to support improved work‑life balance, including measures to strengthen access to flexible working.

Unpaid carers receiving Carer’s Allowance receive a Class 1 National Insurance Credit which helps protect entitlement to the State Pension and contributory working-age benefits. Those receiving Universal Credit or a Carer’s Credit receive a Class 3 National Insurance Credit which helps protect entitlement to the State Pension. In all cases other contributions and entitlement conditions for the benefits or pension concerned would also need to be satisfied.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2026 to WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of the flight to Nepal; 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)

The Nepal flights were an ‘additional journey’, which is for DfT staff posted overseas. Such journeys are to enable staff and accompanying dependents at qualifying hardship posts to take a break away from local conditions during their posting. This was for an SEO plus partner as an additional journey from their posting in New Delhi. Total costs are only the flight costs totalling £332.10. This is in line with DfT policy and agreed at senior civil service level.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to provide (a) financial and (b) business education to (i) secondary school students and (ii) further education students.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The government is committed to strengthening pupils’ foundational understanding of financial education in mathematics and citizenship following the publication of the Curriculum and Assessment Review's final report in November 2025. The department is engaging with sector experts and young people in how best to reflect this, and life skills content, in the updated curriculum. There will be public consultation on updated curriculum Programmes of Study in 2026, seeking views on the content before they are finalised.

Teaching at GCSE business studies can build on the financial education being taught in earlier key stages in citizenship and maths.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Department intends to review transparency requirements for nationally operating police-associated units funded by private industry bodies.

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

Transparency requirements, including in relation to funding, for national policing units is the responsibility of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, or relevant agency which has responsibility for oversight and governance of that unit.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the interaction between Universal Credit and student finance results in appropriate support for eligible students.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Students are generally expected to access support for tuition fees and living costs through the student support system. This means most full‑time students are not usually eligible for Universal Credit, unless they fall into specified exception groups (e.g. disabled students, students with children, some young people without parental support).

Students who are eligible for Universal Credit have their maintenance loans treated as income for the purpose of Universal Credit. The student support system is designed to meet their living cost needs during study.

Tuition fee loans are disregarded in the calculation of a Universal Credit award, along with grants such as those recognising a disability or for childcare costs. Any Special Support Loan/Grant is also disregarded in these calculations.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to protect consumers from rogue builders.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

This Government is working to ensure we have a high-quality and professional construction industry, with consumer protection at the heart of this. TrustMark, sponsored by the Department and licenced by the Government, is the Government Endorsed Quality Scheme that covers work a consumer chooses to have carried out in or around their home. In addition, the Building Safety Act 2022 has introduced competence requirements for both individuals and businesses working in the built environment.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps her Department has taken to support school leavers to access (a) further education opportunities and (b) work placements; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of those steps in delivering long-term employment outcomes.

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

The department is taking a range of steps to support school leavers to access further education (FE) opportunities and work placements.

The government is improving careers advice in schools so that all young people understand the full range of pathways available to them, including FE, apprenticeships and employment, and feel confident navigating a changing labour market.

We are also committed to guaranteeing every young person access to two weeks’ worth of high‑quality work experience during secondary education. This more flexible model provides multiple, meaningful workplace experiences across key stages 3 and 4, helping pupils develop employer‑valued skills and supporting successful transitions into FE and work.

In 2024/25, a pilot flexible work‑experience model reached over 2,500 pupils across 66 schools and is being scaled in 2025/26, with enhanced support for up to 750 disadvantaged schools. From 2026/27, additional support will expand provision in alternative provision schools.

Effectiveness is monitored through the Future Skills Questionnaire, which shows rising career readiness, pathway awareness and confidence, all of which are associated with improved long‑term employment outcomes.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2026 to WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of the flight to Mozambique; 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 24 March 2026 to WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of each flight to Nigeria; 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 WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of each flight to the Cayman Islands; 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 Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to support neurodivergent and SEND pupils with their studies in (a) Leicester, (b) the East Midlands and (c) England.

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 Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed Code of Practice on the physical activity sector; and what consultation she has undertaken with representatives of that sector in developing the Code.

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

The Government acknowledges the importance of providing clarity to the physical activity sector regarding the forthcoming Code of Practice. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) delivered the updated draft of the Code to the Government on 13 April.

We will be working with our partners across the physical activity sector on how best to support compliance with the Code once it is published.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what guidance is available to businesses in the physical activity sector to support compliance with the law pending publication of the Code of Practice.

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

The Government acknowledges the importance of providing clarity to the physical activity sector regarding the forthcoming Code of Practice. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) delivered the updated draft of the Code to the Government on 13 April.

We will be working with our partners across the physical activity sector on how best to support compliance with the Code once it is published.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of Personal Independence Payment claimants who have been in receipt of the benefit for more than a) two years b) three years and c) five years without reassessment.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

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