Written questions by Mayer.

Whether he plans to introduce (a) exemptions and (b) alternative arrangements for specialist steel products that are not manufactured in the UK under the UK steel trade safeguard measures from 1 July 2026.

Awaiting answer.

What discussions she has had with HMRC on the capacity of customs systems to distinguish between generic steel products and specialist aerospace-grade steel imports under the UK steel trade safeguard measures from 1 July 2026.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK steel trade safeguard measures due to come into force on 1 July 2026 on specialist steel importers supplying the aerospace, Formula One, renewable energy and defence sectors.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential role of Digital Twin technology in supporting the delivery of an integrated transport system in the UK.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of permanently moving social and environmental levies from electricity bills into general taxation on (a) average household energy bills and (b) levels of fuel poverty.

Awaiting answer.

What data her Department holds on the number of reported incidents of (a) physical assault and (b) verbal abuse against bus drivers in England in each of the last five years; and what steps her Department is taking to improve the safety of bus drivers.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment his Department has made of how the replacement of circulator pumps could be more effectively reflected in Government energy efficiency advice and guidance for households.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the planned end of the zero rate of VAT on energy-saving materials on the uptake of domestic renewable energy and energy efficiency installations.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what enforcement mechanisms are planned to ensure compliance with a potential trail hunting ban.

Awaiting answer.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a maximum workplace temperature.

Awaiting answer.

What guidance her Department has issued to police forces on assessing the risk of self-harm of people released under investigation.

Decisions on release and safeguarding are operational matters for individual and operationally independent police forces, taken in accordance with the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, its Codes of Practice, and national professional guidance. His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services regularly inspects police forces, including on how they protect vulnerable people.The Home Office hold statistics on the numbers of individuals Released Under Investigation by duration in the Police Custody and Pre-Charge Bail release, which covers the years 2022/23 to 2024/25:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69d50f114d39faba1f3b27a9/released-under-investigation-data-tables-year-ending-march-2025.odsPrior to this, for 2020/21 and 2021/22 the Released Under Investigation statistics were published as Experimental Statistics.https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/61b74f1fe90e070445fd782c/released-under-investigation-data-tables-police-powers-and-procedures-year-ending-march-2021.xlsxhttps://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/636e3e4a8fa8f559604a0b2f/pre-charge-bail-statistics-police-powers-and-procedure-year-ending-march-2022.xlsx.odsDue to the provisional and incomplete nature of this dataset, statistics on Released Under Investigation have been designated as ‘Official Statistics in Development’, to acknowledge that further development is ongoing to improve data quality.Additionally, as different numbers of police forces have been able to provide Released Under Investigation data in each year, any trends on the number of people who were on Released Under Investigation for longer than a year should be interpreted with caution.

What information her Department holds on the numbers of people who have been released under investigation for more than a year during the last five years.

Decisions on release and safeguarding are operational matters for individual and operationally independent police forces, taken in accordance with the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, its Codes of Practice, and national professional guidance. His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services regularly inspects police forces, including on how they protect vulnerable people.The Home Office hold statistics on the numbers of individuals Released Under Investigation by duration in the Police Custody and Pre-Charge Bail release, which covers the years 2022/23 to 2024/25:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69d50f114d39faba1f3b27a9/released-under-investigation-data-tables-year-ending-march-2025.odsPrior to this, for 2020/21 and 2021/22 the Released Under Investigation statistics were published as Experimental Statistics.https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/61b74f1fe90e070445fd782c/released-under-investigation-data-tables-police-powers-and-procedures-year-ending-march-2021.xlsxhttps://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/636e3e4a8fa8f559604a0b2f/pre-charge-bail-statistics-police-powers-and-procedure-year-ending-march-2022.xlsx.odsDue to the provisional and incomplete nature of this dataset, statistics on Released Under Investigation have been designated as ‘Official Statistics in Development’, to acknowledge that further development is ongoing to improve data quality.Additionally, as different numbers of police forces have been able to provide Released Under Investigation data in each year, any trends on the number of people who were on Released Under Investigation for longer than a year should be interpreted with caution.

Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the BBC about the potential effect of staff reductions on local and regional news coverage.

The BBC is a vital national institution and an engine of the nations and regions. In that context, this news is concerning for the BBC workforce who are facing significant uncertainty, and for the sector as a whole. The BBC is delivering significant savings, which requires difficult decisions to be made independent of the Government. The BBC have stated that there will be more information on their plans later this year. Looking ahead, the Charter Review aims to deliver a BBC that is sustainably funded in a way that sets the BBC on a path to thrive until well into the latter half of this century.

Food and Rural Affairs, what data her Department holds on trespassing incidents in waterways in quarries.

Defra holds no data on trespassing in waterways in quarries, but the Mining Remediation Authority may hold some information on this matter.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of Transport Focus’s document entitled Your Bus Journey 2025, published on 25 March 2026.

The Government is committed to improving local bus services for passengers and the Department for Transport welcomes the valuable insight provided by Transport Focus's 'Your Bus Journey' report, published on 25 March 2026. We were encouraged to see overall bus passenger satisfaction rising to 85%, and the report’s findings will continue to help inform the Department’s work to drive better bus services across the country.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of levels of fly-tipping in woodland areas in the last 12 months.

The Government has made no specific assessment of fly-tipping levels in woodland areas over the last 12 months. Local authorities in England are required to report fly-tipping incidents to Defra, which are published annually, which can be found on: Fly-tipping statistics for England - GOV.UK Local authorities are required to report to Defra the size of a fly-tipping incident, its waste type and the land-type where it occurred. However, this does not cover if the area is a particular habitat or a woodland.

Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions he has had with mobile network operators on the rollout of standalone 5G.

Since her appointment in September 2025, the Minister for Digital Economy, the Minister responsible for digital infrastructure, has met with the Chief Executive Officers of all the mobile network operators to discuss a range of issues, including digital infrastructure rollout, the market, and challenges the sector is facing.All network operators have committed significant investment in line with Government's ambition for standalone 5G to be available in all populated areas by 2030. Government continues to work closely with operators to identify and address barriers to deployment where appropriate to do so, to support investment and improve mobile coverage and connectivity nationwide.

How many additional childcare places have been created due to funding from her Department's National Wraparound Childcare Programme in (a) Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard constituency and (b) England.

Following the launch of the national wraparound childcare programme in September 2024, over 105,000 places were made available by November 2025, supporting more families to access the childcare they need. The department does not hold delivery data broken down to constituency level.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the UK’s preparedness to respond to a nuclear safety incident arising from damage to a nuclear power plant by hostile actors.

The UK has an established nuclear safety regime, which it keeps under regular review to ensure it is responsive to emerging threats. The independent regulator, the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), requires civil nuclear facilities to be designed and operated with layers of defence-in-depth, to provide protection and mitigation if a control fails. This multi-layered approach encompasses physical, cyber, personnel security, and safety fail-safes. Additionally, high consequence nuclear sites are protected by a dedicated, onsite armed police force. Site safety and security arrangements are regularly tested, exercised, and reviewed to maintain their effectiveness in the unlikely event of an incident. This provides confidence that the UK’s civil nuclear power plants are designed to uphold nuclear safety and effectively counteract threats, including those posed by hostile actors.

Communities and Local Government, whether his Department is taking steps to encourage councils to reduce their ownership of (a) unused and (b) underused office space.

Local authorities are independent bodies responsible for managing their own estates. Decisions regarding council offices are therefore for local authorities to make rather than MHCLG.