Written questions by Mayer.

With reference to her Department's guidance entitled Setting up a bus franchising scheme: December 2024, published in December 2024, whether a local transport authority is permitted to use surplus revenue generated from a micro-franchised area to fund supported bus services outside the boundaries of that micro-franchised area.

A local transport authority can use revenue generated from a franchising scheme to support bus services that are not part of the scheme, including those outside the scheme’s area.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an estimate of the number of live lobsters being (a) posted and (b) couriered in 2024.

Defra does not hold data for live lobsters being posted and couriered in 2024.

Whether she plans to publish a roadmap for the (a) uptake and (b) deployment of zero emission heavy goods vehicles.

Government support to increase the uptake of zero emission heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) includes initiatives such as the Plug-In Truck Grant, reducing the upfront cost of zero emission HGVs, and the up to £200m Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID) programme, delivering both zero emission both vehicles and supporting infrastructure. We are considering our regulatory pathway to decarbonising new non-zero emission HGVs and will set out further information in due course.

What assessment his Department has made of trends in levels of glyphosate in menstrual products; and what steps he is taking to (a) monitor and (b) regulate those levels.

Most period products are regulated by the General Product Safety Regulations 2005, which requires all products to be safe and for consumers to be provided with information on the potential risks of a product.Subject to Royal Assent of the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill, the Government has committed to consult on this matter to ensure that any changes to the safety provisions of these products are robust and consistent. As part of this, we are considering further research and testing in this area to complement the consultation.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure improved integration between (a) bus and (b) rail services through the Integrated National Transport Strategy.

The government knows that a modern, integrated public transport network is vital to providing access to services and opportunities for all users of the system and keeping communities connected. Later this year, the Department will publish its Integrated National Transport Strategy and set the long-term vision for transport in England, placing people at the heart of how transport is designed, built and operated. Although the Strategy is still in development, it will aim to create a transport system where people can easily, reliably and safely carry out the journeys they want to make, including those across multiple modes. We are working to improve both bus and rail services to support greater integration between transport modes. The Bus Services (No.2) Bill will place power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders, and the Public Ownership Act and Railways Bill will ensure the railways are delivering once again for passengers across the country.

What estimate her Department has made of the number of stay-at-home mothers in (a) Bedfordshire and (b) the East of England who claimed Child Benefit between 1978 and 2000 and may have missed out on receiving a full State Pension due to missing Home Responsibilities Protection or National Insurance credits.

The Department estimates in total there are around 210,000 people with State Pension underpayments due to missing Home Responsibilities Protection on their National Insurance record DWP annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024 (HTML) - GOV.UK. Geographical breakdowns are not available.

Pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2024 to Question 15303 on Euston Station: Bus Services, what progress his Department has made on developing plans for the Euston Station Campus redevelopment; and whether those plans include an agreed location for a new bus station.

The Department for Transport is working with key partners to develop affordable, integrated plans for the Euston Station Campus. The new HS2 station platforms and passenger facilities will be integrated with an expanded Network Rail station concourse and enhancements to the London Underground station, along with improved local transport facilities and a significant level of development. We will set out more details in due course.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of integrated care board reconfigurations on patient access to healthcare services.

NHS England has asked integrated care boards (ICBs) to act primarily as strategic commissioners of health and care services and to reduce the duplication of responsibilities within their structure, with the expectation of achieving a reduction in their running cost allowance. NHS England provided additional guidance to ICBs, National Health Service trusts, and NHS foundation trusts in a letter on 1 April 2025. This letter is available at the following:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/working-together-in-2025-26-to-lay-the-foundations-for-reform/These changes will form part of a package of measures, including the forthcoming 10-Year Health Plan, that positively impact on patient care and safety by driving quality of care, productivity, and innovation in the NHS. ICBs will continue to deliver their statutory responsibilities and NHS England’s transformation team will continue to work with ICBs to develop their plans and to ensure implementation of the changes, whilst maintaining a focus on patient safety.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that flexibilities introduced under the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate do not enable car manufacturers to borrow more compliance credits from future years than they will be able to repay by 2030.

The caps on borrowing allowances in the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate will limit borrowing to under 10% of the new cars a manufacturer registers from 2026 onwards.As per the Vehicle Emissions Trading Schemes Order 2023, the Secretary of State can decline borrowing requests, where appropriate. This could include where there is reason to doubt a manufacturer will repay the borrowed allowances by 2030.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of appointing an expert in animal welfare to the Food Strategy Advisory Board.

Members of the Food Strategy Advisory Board were selected as senior leaders who have a broad range of experience across the food system and reflect the diversity of the sector. Membership has been finalised. We are not looking to expand it at this time. The Board represents just one aspect of our engagement with stakeholders across the food supply system. The food strategy will articulate the outcomes required to deliver food system change.

How the British Transport Police will be funded (a) during and (b) after the establishment of Great British Railways.

The British Transport Police’s (BTP) budget is set by the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA). It is the executive non-departmental public body that oversees the Force and is their employer. BTPA sets the BTP’s budget annually following proposals from the Force and views from industry. We anticipate that the level of funding for the BTP during the transition to and commencement of Great British Railways will similarly balance the needs of the industry and the force against public sector affordability.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of upgrading to 5G infrastructure across the rail network on the economy.

The Department continues to work closely with Network Rail and industry to explore solutions to improve connectivity on trains, which includes rolling out rail 5G on passenger trains.We are also exploring the feasibility of satellite connectivity to improve passenger mobile connectivity. This will rely on the outcome of the spending review.

What estimate her Department has made of the volume of British-produced steel used in the construction of the East West Rail project from Bletchley to Oxford; and what estimate she has made of the volume required for the new build section to Cambridge.

All rail used in the build of Connection Stage 1 (Oxford to Milton Keynes) was British Steel supplied via Network Rail SCO operations, which amounts to just under 4,100 tonnes. There would also have been a small additional amount used in built structures and stations.The section between Bedford and Cambridge is still at the preliminary design phase and a total estimate of the volume of steel required is not yet available. However, current estimates suggest around 12,300 tonnes of new plain line track will be required.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including bikeability training in the National Curriculum.

Schools are best placed and have the flexibility to decide on the activities they provide to deliver a rounded and enriching education to suit their pupils’ needs, this includes cycling training programmes such as Bikeability. Physical education (PE) is a foundation subject in the national curriculum and compulsory at all four key stages.The department welcomes the opportunity for continued collaboration with Bikeability to create sustainable improvements in physical activity for young people, for example through active travel and promoting the overall wellbeing benefits of physical activity, including through cycling.In July 2024, the department launched an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review. The Review will seek to deliver a curriculum which is rich and broad, inclusive, and innovative. The Review’s interim report was published in March 2025.  We are now working on the next phase of the review which will consider subject issues, working closely with the sector.

What steps her Department is taking to improve GCSE attainment among disadvantaged pupils in the East of England.

All children and young people should have every opportunity to succeed, no matter who they are or where they are from. Disadvantaged pupils are more likely to face barriers that hold them back, which is why the Opportunity Mission will break the unfair link between background and success.High and rising standards are the key to strengthening outcomes for every child and young person no matter their background, reducing gaps and helping them to achieve and thrive.The department will deliver this through excellent teaching and leaders, a high-quality curriculum, strong accountability with faster school improvement and an inclusive system which removes the barriers to learning.As one of our first steps for change, the department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 expert teachers across secondary and special schools and our colleges over the course of this parliament. We have made strong initial progress to deliver this key pledge, and our investment is starting to deliver. The workforce has grown by 2,346 FTE between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools, which are the schools where they are needed most.We have also launched a Curriculum and Assessment Review that is looking closely at the key challenges to attainment, particularly for those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged.To drive standards in reading and writing, £27.7 million has been committed in the 2025/26 financial year, including new training and resources for secondary school staff to support reading in key stage 3, with a specific focus on readers who are at risk of falling behind.The department funds a national network of Maths Hubs, including 5 covering the East of England, which aims to raise the standard of maths teaching from reception to age 18, preventing and reducing attainment gaps.Alongside this, pupil premium funding of over £3 billion is being provided in the 2025/26 financial year to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.

What steps her Department is taking to close the attainment gap between (a) disadvantaged and (b) not disadvantaged pupils in areas with three-tier education.

All children and young people should have every opportunity to succeed, no matter who they are or where they are from. Disadvantaged pupils are more likely to face barriers that hold them back, which is why the Opportunity Mission will break the unfair link between background and success.High and rising standards are the key to strengthening outcomes for every child and young person no matter their background, reducing gaps and helping them to achieve and thrive.The department will deliver this through excellent teaching and leaders, a high-quality curriculum, strong accountability with faster school improvement and an inclusive system which removes the barriers to learning.As one of our first steps for change, the department is committed to recruiting an additional 6,500 expert teachers across secondary and special schools and our colleges over the course of this parliament. We have made strong initial progress to deliver this key pledge, and our investment is starting to deliver. The workforce has grown by 2,346 FTE between 2023/24 and 2024/25 in secondary and special schools, which are the schools where they are needed most.We have also launched a Curriculum and Assessment Review that is looking closely at the key challenges to attainment, particularly for those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged.To drive standards in reading and writing, £27.7 million has been committed in the 2025/26 financial year, including new training and resources for secondary school staff to support reading in key stage 3, with a specific focus on readers who are at risk of falling behind.The department funds a national network of Maths Hubs, including 5 covering the East of England, which aims to raise the standard of maths teaching from reception to age 18, preventing and reducing attainment gaps.Alongside this, pupil premium funding of over £3 billion is being provided in the 2025/26 financial year to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.

If she will publish which local authorities have the powers to enforce moving traffic restrictions.

Local authorities in London have had the powers to enforce moving traffic contraventions since 2003. In 2022, regulations came into effect under the Traffic Management Act 2004 to allow local authorities in England outside London to apply for moving traffic enforcement powers. To date, 73 local authorities outside London have been granted moving traffic enforcement powers. All of the Designation Orders are available on the Government’s legislation website. The links to each are here: www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2022/686/made; www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/698/made; www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2024/1135/made.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Environment Agency is required to undertake an environmental impact assessment before cutting grass on embankments.

The Environment Agency regularly carries out maintenance works using its permissive powers to manage flood risk. Routine grass cutting, vegetation management and debris clearance on embankments are low-impact but essential preventative maintenance activities for our flood defences - ensuring they remain safe, and to sustain their condition. A full assessment in accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Regulations isn’t necessary, however, we carefully assess each maintenance activity for environmental impacts through internal protocols.

Whether her Department plans to review the definitions of (a) pre-booked and (b) on-demand coach services.

The Department recognises the important role the coach sector plays in connecting people across the country. Coaches are operated on a commercial basis providing services for leisure, business, education and private hire. The Government has no plans to review the definitions of pre-booked or on-demand services because, as private businesses, decisions such as the types of services they offer are for the operators concerned.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a separate regulatory structure for coach services.

The UK coach sector was deregulated by the Transport Act 1980 and services are operated on a commercial basis without receiving government funding. Where coaches provide local bus services, they may be required to comply with the relevant legislation governing those services. Operation of buses and coaches requires a Public Service Vehicle Operator’s Licence and there are currently no plans for a separate regulatory structure for the operation of coaches.