Written questions by Mayer.

Whether her Department plans to provide financial support to small businesses to purchase zero emission heavy goods vehicles after 2026.

The Government has kickstarted the deployment of zero emission heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and their supporting charging and fuelling infrastructure through initiatives such as the Plug-In Truck Grant (PiTG), the £30 million Depot Charging Scheme, and the up to £200 million Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID).These initiatives are open to all businesses, including small businesses, to support the uptake of zero emission HGVs by lowering upfront costs and supporting the provision of dedicated HGV charging infrastructure.The PiTG remains in place until the end of the 2026/27 financial year. The ZEHID programme is funding hundreds of ZE HGVs and their associated recharging and refuelling sites by March 2026.While the Depot Charging Scheme will close on or by 28 November 2025, by supporting necessary infrastructure, the funding will provide confidence to the logistics sector and support British businesses to transition to zero emission.

Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance her Department provides to local authorities on the maintenance of newly planted trees during the first 12 months after planting.

Forest Research has produced an Urban Tree manual that provides advice on selecting and procuring the right tree for the right place in urban areas. It also highlights long-term issues of the threats to existing trees from pests, disease and climate change, and describes the benefits to the environment and for well-being that urban trees can provide. This is available at Urban Tree Manual - Forest Research. The UK Government has also funded the Caring for Newly Planted Trees guidance, published by the Tree Council. Other guidance is also provided by the Forestry Commission, for example through the England Woodland Creation Offer maintenance support and more general guidance on protecting newly planted trees, including Tree Establishment and Management on the Climate Change Hub and guidance on maintaining new trees after restocking.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a zero emission vehicle mandate for heavy duty vehicles.

The Government believes that more needs to be done to decarbonise the road freight sector. We are considering our regulatory approach to decarbonise new non-zero emission heavy goods vehicles and will engage with stakeholders in due course.

With reference to the statistics entitled Monthly total number of electric vehicle public charging devices available in the UK, published on 1 October 2025, if she will provide a breakdown by local transport authority.

Geographic breakdowns of the number of public electric vehicle charging devices in the UK are published in the tables for Electric vehicle public charging infrastructure statistics: October 2025. Table 1a summarises the number of public charging devices by region and local authority. Table 7a summarises the number of public charging devices by parliamentary constituency. The Department does not hold this data summarised at local transport authority level. The tables are included as a supplementary attachment to this response.

What steps she is taking to improve charging infrastructure for electric heavy goods vehicles.

The up to £200 million Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID) is kickstarting the deployment of zero emission HGV infrastructure and has already funded 73 planned infrastructure locations, representing over 360 chargers. The Government is further supporting the installation of charging equipment at depots through the £30 million Depot Charging Scheme.

With reference to the Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain 2024; published on 23 October 2025, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the (a) number and (b) types of procedures carried out compared to the previous year.

In 2024, there were 2.64 million regulated scientific procedures carried out in Great Britain involving living animals. This is a decrease of 1% on the previous year, and the lowest number since 2001.The trends in the number of animals and types of procedures carried out each year are linked to the volume and nature of scientific work undertaken and products being brought to market.The Home Office is responsible for regulating under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) to assure compliance with protections afforded to animals used in science. Trends in requirements are the responsibility of other authorities. For instance, regulatory requirements for animal testing are the responsibility of the relevant regulators, such as the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (for medicines) and Health and Safety Executive (for chemicals).

Representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 2 April 2025 to Question 40025 on Parliamentary Estate: Detergents, whether the list of cleaning products that are not certified as cruelty-free has changed since April 2025.

The list of cleaning products used on the Parliament Estate that are not certified as cruelty-free has not changed since April 2025.Our cleaning contractor continues to look for suitable cruelty-free alternatives.

Food and Rural Affairs, what her planned timetable is for the reintroduction of the pet passport.

As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Area, which will mean taking pets on holiday into the EU will be easier and cheaper. Instead of getting an Animal Health Certificate each time they travel, pet owners will be able to get a multiuse pet passport valid for travel to the EU. We are expecting to start negotiations later this autumn, once the EU has confirmed their mandate. In the meantime, and until an agreement is reached, owners will still need an Animal Health Certificate for their dog, cat or ferret(s) if they’re travelling from Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) to an EU country.

What proportion of (a) women and (b) men eligible for NHS health checks have had those checks in the last year, broken down by parliamentary constituency in the East of England.

The Department does not hold data on NHS Health Checks broken down by sex or by parliamentary constituencies. Local authorities, who are responsible for commissioning the NHS Health Check, may hold this information locally.The NHS Health Check should be offered once every five years to eligible people, which means if everyone expected was offered a check and completed one, we would expect 20% of the total eligible population to receive a check each year.The following table shows the proportion of the total five-year eligible population who had an NHS Health Check in each local authority in the East of England in 2024-2025:AreaPercentage of the total five-year eligible population who received an NHS Health Check in the year 2024/25England9.0East of England9.4Cambridgeshire13.2Luton11.9Essex11.4Norfolk11.0Southend-on-Sea10.5Thurrock8.8Peterborough7.8Hertfordshire7.2Suffolk6.0Central Bedfordshire5.4Bedford5.3 To improve access to the programme we are piloting an online NHS Health Check so that people can undertake a check at a time and place convenient to them.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's Pride in Place Programme phase 2 methodology note, published on 25 September 2025, if he will publish the full ranked list of neighbourhoods for Step 3.

On 25 September the Government announced its flagship Pride in Place Programme, supporting 244 of Great Britain’s most in need neighbourhoods with up to £20m each over the next decade. This will serve as the cornerstone of this Government’s support for communities, incorporating the existing 25 trailblazer areas announced at Spending Review and the 75 Plan for Neighbourhoods programme areas that were announced in March. New areas across England were selected using a robust, metrics-based methodology based on deprivation (the Index of Multiple Deprivation) and community need (the Community Needs Index) to identify areas with the poorest social and economic outcomes. The full list of areas and place selection methodology was published and is set out at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pride-in-place-programme-place-selection-methodology-note. We will not be publishing a further ranked list of Pride in Place Programme neighbourhoods.

When her Department expects passenger train services to begin operating on the first section of East West Rail between Oxford and Milton Keynes.

The Department is working closely with Chiltern Railways and other partners to confirm a start date for the service. We are looking forward to commencing services as soon as all necessary authorisations and agreements are in place. Passenger services will commence once train testing and driver training have been completed.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of adopting single/double summer time on road safety.

The department has not made a recent assessment of the potential of adopting single/double summertime on road safety. The Government believes that the current daylight-saving arrangements represent the best possible use of the available daylight.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of adopting single/double summer time on the retail and hospitality sectors.

The Government believes the current daylight-saving arrangements represent the optimal use of the available daylight across the UK. Therefore, we have no plans to introduce single summertime, double summertime, or other such changes. Since the Government does not intend to make changes to the existing system, we have not conducted assessments of the impact on the retail and hospitality sectors, on levels of energy consumption or crime.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of adopting single/double summer time on levels of energy consumption.

The Government believes the current daylight-saving arrangements represent the optimal use of the available daylight across the UK. Therefore, we have no plans to introduce single summertime, double summertime, or other such changes. Since the Government does not intend to make changes to the existing system, we have not conducted assessments of the impact on the retail and hospitality sectors, on levels of energy consumption or crime.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of adopting single/double summer time on levels of crime.

The Government believes the current daylight-saving arrangements represent the optimal use of the available daylight across the UK. Therefore, we have no plans to introduce single summertime, double summertime, or other such changes. Since the Government does not intend to make changes to the existing system, we have not conducted assessments of the impact on the retail and hospitality sectors, on levels of energy consumption or crime.

What recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of adopting single/double summer time on children’s access to after-school (a) sports and (b) outdoor activities.

The government believes the current daylight-saving arrangements represent the optimal use of the available daylight across the UK. Therefore, we have no plans to introduce double summertime, permanent summertime, or other such changes which would require considerable planning and action by business. Since we do not intend to make changes to the existing system, we will not be conducting an assessment of the impact on children’s access to after school sports and outdoor activities.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the costs to her Department of climate-related extreme weather since 1 January 2020.

The third UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA3), published in 2021 under the UK Climate Change Act 2008, includes a Monetary Valuation of Risks and Opportunities assessment of the current and future costs of climate change to the UK.

Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of the £816 million set aside for tree planting over the Spending Review period he plans to spend on the management of existing woodlands.

The £816 million of funding announced in the spending review is funding dedicated to supporting delivery of the statutory tree canopy and woodland cover target and increasing tree planting rates across England. Recognising the importance of woodland management we have recently opened the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier scheme for new applications. It includes an expanded woodland management offer, with funding for a variety of management actions and woodland types. Woodland managers can apply for funding to produce a woodland management plan and will then receive advice from Forestry Commission to agree the management of their woodland in the scheme.

How many miles of the national cycle network are permissive routes.

In England, approximately 2,720 miles of the National Cycling Network is on a permissive right of way. Of this, over 50% is on land owned by a Local Authority or other public body.

What assessment she has made of the costs to her Department of climate-related extreme weather since 1 January 2020.

Climate change projections suggest the UK will experience more frequent and severe weather events which have the potential to disrupt transport. The Department reports on the risks and opportunities from climate change through the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). This was included in DfT’s 2024-25 annual reports and accounts, in which the Department highlighted flooding and sea-level rise as a high-impact, high-cost climate risk.