Written questions by Pinkerton.

What progress she has made to help reduce waiting times for driving tests in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is working hard to reduce waiting times for car practical tests whilst upholding road safety standards. DVSA wants all learners to be able to access a driving test when they are ready to pass, to enable people to get to places of study or work and break down barriers to opportunity.The table below shows the February 2026 average waiting time and number of tests booked and available at the driving test centres (DTCs) serving Hampshire and Surrey as of 23 March 2026. (DTCs in bold are the main DTCs serving Surrey Heath.Driving test centre (DTC)Average car practical driving test waiting time in weeks (February 2026)Booked tests (as of 23 March 2026)Tests available in 24 week booking window (as of 23 March 2026)Basingstoke241,03738Chertsey242,819145Farnborough243,945129Guildford2481038Lee on Solent242,319101Mitcham245,854198Newport (Isle of Wight)241,40159Portsmouth246,214262Redhill241,79781Southampton244,802223Tolworth242,98680West Wickam243,274141Winchester16.51,58567Great Britain (National)21.6 weeks644,85146,926Between June 2025 – February 2026, at the DTCs above, DVSA conducted 2,996 additional car practical driving tests in overtime, when compared to the equivalent overtime scheme between June 2024 – February 2025. This increase can largely be attributed to the additional test allowance scheme the agency introduced in June 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what fiscal steps he is taking to support the community ownership of assets in Surrey.

This Government is empowering communities to protect and take ownership of valued local assets through the new Community Right to Buy. This will give communities the first opportunity to purchase a registered asset of community value when it is put up for sale by its owner. In addition, our £5.8 billion Pride in Place programme is supporting 284 of the most in-need areas with funding to support a range of local activities, including restoring or taking ownership of assets they value. The Pride in Place Impact Fund will also provide up to £150 million of funding to 95 places to support the development of community spaces, public space and to revitalise local high streets.

What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of Government funding for repairing potholes in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.

The Government is investing a record £7.3 billion in local highways maintenance over the next four years, which is in addition to a £1.6 billion investment in 2025/26, a £500 million increase on the previous year. The responsible local highway authority for the constituency of Surrey Heath is Surrey County Council. Surrey County Council is eligible to receive £164,080,000 over the four year period.To support improvement, the Department has introduced a new annual traffic‑light rating system assessing each authority’s road condition, maintenance spending, and use of best practice. Surrey received an overall amber rating, and all ratings are available on GOV.UK.These ratings encourage strong asset management and a preventative approach to reduce potholes. The Department is also providing £300,000 in development support to help councils adopt best practice, improve their ratings, and enhance the condition of their roads.

What assessment his Department has made of recent trends in levels of business confidence in the hospitality sector in Surrey Heath constituency.

While the Department does not produce constituency-level assessments of business confidence, government closely monitors business confidence across the hospitality sector.We have introduced targeted support measures to strengthen the sector’s resilience. These include permanently reduced business rates for eligible retail, hospitality, and leisure properties, a substantial enhancement of the Hospitality Support Fund, initiatives to streamline regulatory requirements, and progress on licensing reform toward a new National Licensing Policy Framework. This framework is designed to offer greater flexibility for pubs and hospitality venues, enabling them to prosper.

What the expected timeline is for the announcement by Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust on the new hospital at Frimley Park Hospital.

Pursuant to the answer given to the Hon. Member on 23 March 2026 to Question 121160, any announcement on a provisional preferred site for the new hospital at Frimley Park Hospital will be down to the Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust to announce.This will be subject to the trust having secured all the relevant business case approvals and commercial agreements with landowners. The trust expects to be able to announce the site in the coming months, subject to pre-election period guidance.

Pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2026 to Question 121982 on Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention, what the expected timeframe is for publishing the evidence submitted to the consultation on UK accession to the Pan‑Euro‑Mediterranean Convention.

The government’s response to the call for evidence on UK accession to the Pan-Euro Mediterranean Convention (PEM) was published on 26th March 2026.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the potential economic merits for (a) the Treasury and (b) UK businesses of the UK joining the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention.

In the UK’s Trade Strategy, the government recognised the potential merits and impacts of UK accession to the Pan-Euro Mediterranean Convention (PEM) and committed to engaging business further. The government ran a five-week call for evidence from November to December last year to understand the potential impacts of accession on businesses. The Government will publish the findings in due course.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of negotiating UK access into the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention.

In the UK’s Trade Strategy, the government recognised the potential merits and impacts of UK accession to the Pan-Euro Mediterranean Convention (PEM) and committed to engaging business further. The government ran a five-week call for evidence from November to December last year to understand the potential impacts of accession on businesses. The Government will publish the findings in due course.

When his Department will announce the provisional preferred site for a new hospital intended to replace Frimley Park Hospital.

Any announcement on a provisional preferred site for the new hospital at Frimley Park Hospital will be down to the Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust to announce. This will be subject to the trust having secured all the relevant business case approvals.

What proportion of funding allocated through the New Hospital Programme for the replacement of Frimley Park Hospital will be dedicated to infrastructure upgrades.

The Frimley Park Hospital scheme is currently at the Strategic Outline Case (SOC) business case stage. The final cost of the Frimley Park Hospital main scheme will be subject to the approval of the Full Business Case, following the process set out in HM Treasury’s Green Book.As plans mature from the SOC stage through to the development of the Outline Business Case, the trust will finalise details of enabling works costs and develop separate business cases, which will include any necessary infrastructure upgrades.

What steps his Department is taking to increase (a) recruitment and (b) retention at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

The Army has consistently achieved the Direct Entry target for Regular Officer recruitment, demonstrating sustained effectiveness in meeting, and often exceeding, recruiting requirements. The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst maintains strong retention, with an overall pass rate of 92% and 81% of Officer Cadets completing the Commissioning Course at the first attempt. The Academy operates a culture of “train in, not select out,” supported by comprehensive measures to minimise outflow, including dedicated injury rehabilitation, robust welfare provision and improved lived experience. Ongoing enhancements to training design ensure the course remains progressive, achievable and demanding, strengthening cadet development and supporting high retention outcomes.

What steps he is taking to help increase the number of defence jobs in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is actively supporting the growth of defence jobs in both Surrey and Surrey Heath through substantial investment in the South East region. Currently, the MOD’s expenditure in this area amounts to £7.85 billion, which helps sustain one of the highest concentrations of defence-related employment in the UK. Specifically, in Surrey and Surrey Heath, BAE Systems has been awarded a £285 million contract by the MOD to provide critical support for the Royal Navy’s Shared Infrastructure, Combat Management Systems (CMS), and warship networks. This contract alone helps maintain approximately 200 jobs across the UK, including important roles based in Frimley. More broadly, these investments contribute to supporting around 1,060 full-time defence-related jobs per 100,000 people across the wider South East region, encompassing both Surrey and Surrey Heath.

Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to engage with children and young people on social media use in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency.

On 2 March, the government launched a landmark consultation on how to give young people the childhood they deserve in an online world. Alongside the formal consultation, we have launched a child and parent-friendly version, ensuring these important voices are properly heard.As part of the National Conversation running alongside the consultation, we will be hosting events across the UK to hear directly from young people. Families, young people, and communities from all over the UK, including in Surrey and the Surrey Heath constituency, are encouraged to discuss this vital topic in community events, MP-led local conversations, and engagement through schools and civil society organisations.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to help ensure reliable broadband services in hard to reach areas of Surrey Heath constituency.

Project Gigabit is the government’s programme to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to UK premises that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans.As part of Project Gigabit, Openreach is delivering a contract to extend coverage to hard-to-reach areas of Surrey. This contract currently includes approximately 1,900 premises in the Surrey Heath constituency, of which almost 900 premises have already been given coverage.We will aim to cover the remaining premises that are not currently included in Project Gigabit or suppliers’ commercial delivery plans as far as possible as funding becomes available, in line with the objective of achieving nationwide gigabit coverage by 2032.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of establishing an economic security agreement with the European Union to mitigate potential geopolitical shocks.

We have continued to enhance our cooperation with the EU on a range of economic security issues of mutual concern since the UK-EU Summit in 2025. The EU remains our most important trading partner, our economies are deeply interconnected and face many of the same challenges and threats, and we share a commitment to upholding the rules-based order. In February 2026, DBT Secretary of State (along with Chancellor for the Exchequer) met EU Commissioners Sefcovic and Dombrovksis to discuss trade and economic issues, including economic security. The UK and EU will hold a second Summit in 2026, where we will seek to further strengthen our partnership on economic security.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has considered the potential merits of increasing the frequency of inter-department ministerial meetings about the UK Overseas Territories.

The Overseas Territories Ministerial Group (OTMG) which I chair already meets regularly, interspersed with official level meetings, and other ad hoc meetings as required between individual Ministers - to consider strategic and cross cutting issues affecting the OTs. We also meet cross-departmentally on the Polar regions with issues affecting relevant OTs in the South Atlantic considered in that format too. The OTMG last met on 12 February 2026. We will continue to keep the level of cross-government ministerial engagement on the Overseas Territories under review.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when she plans to ratify the UK-EU agreement on Gibraltar.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 9 March in response to Question HL15025.

If his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of the EU's Industrial Accelerator Act on UK producers.

This Government notes the publication of the proposed EU Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) and the wider Made in Europe agenda. In general, the proposal suggests that UK content would be considered equivalent to “Union origin” by default for public procurement and public support schemes (e.g. subsidies). However, some of the specific automotive provisions are very concerning and we are in close touch with industry on this. The proposal remains at the Commission stage and is subject to legislative processes. We will continue to monitor its progress and press the EU to avoid any detrimental impact on the UK and EU’s automotive sectors and on our uniquely integrated UK-EU supply chains.

What assessment his Department has made of its red lines for negotiations with the EU on protecting critical industries from the imposition of tariffs.

The UK and EU are close partners with shared interests. We have agreed tariff free trade with the EU under the TCA, and we expect the EU to honour these obligations. The new steel tariff measures announced by the EU therefore present significant concern. We are engaging intensively with the European Commission to find a bilateral solution that protects vital UK-EU steel trade. We have made clear that restricting UK access to the EU market would disrupt key supply chains and harm both our industries.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a long-term deal on steel tariffs with the EU.

The UK and EU are close partners with shared interests. We are engaging intensively on steel tariffs with the European Commission and are working to find a bilateral solution that protects vital UK-EU steel trade. We have made clear that restricting UK access to the EU market would disrupt key supply chains and harm both our industries. In parallel, we are also prioritising the development of a robust measure of our own in light of the UK steel safeguard expiring in June to protect our domestic sector, making sure we maintain secure and resilient supply chains.