Written questions by Mayer.

What evaluation framework is used to measure the effectiveness of the Safer Streets Summer Initiative.

The Home Office have developed a multi-strand analytical approach to measure the progress of the Safer Summer Streets Initiative. This includes:PCCs and police forces providing the Home Office with monthly light-touch monitoring data and qualitative insights related to the initiative.Home Office analysts will analyse data already reported to the Home Office via the Police Annual Data Requirement (ADR) on crime volumes and positive outcomes related to relevant offences.Light-touch process evaluation activity will also be conducted with a limited number of forces to understand how the initiative has been delivered and take learning forward to improve future activity and inform policy.This approach has been communicated to PCCs, including a drop-in session held on the 23 June and a meeting chaired by Minister Johnson on the 24 June.

How many prosecutions for assault on public-facing workers under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 have involved roadworkers; and what assessment she has made of the impact of that provision on sentencing and deterrence.

The Ministry of Justice does not hold data on the number of prosecutions under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 (“the Act”) that specifically involve roadworkers. This is because offence data collected centrally does not routinely record the victim’s occupation in sufficient detail to identify roadworkers as a distinct category.The law provides protections for public-facing workers through this legislation, by creating a statutory aggravating factor, which courts have a duty to consider. This requires courts to treat assaults against such workers as aggravated in sentencing decisions, ensuring that the seriousness of these offences is adequately reflected in sentencing outcomes.

How many full time equivalent staff were working in her Department as of the end of July 2025.

3,404.74 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff were in the Ministerial Department’s total workforce at the end of July 2025.11,705.87 FTE staff were working in Executive Agencies.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of existing regulatory frameworks governing travel companies that market or sell tickets to animal-based tourist attractions.

DCMS has made no such assessment. Overall responsibility for consumer regulation, including Package Travel Regulations, sits with the Department for Business and Trade.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the introduction of bans on enriched cages for laying hens in European countries.

The Government is committed to upholding our high animal welfare standards as part of wider trade policy. We remain firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. The use of cages for laying hens is an issue which we are currently considering very carefully. This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Prime Minister announced that we will be publishing an animal welfare strategy later this year.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with animal welfare organisations on the potential merits of phasing out the use of enriched cages for laying hens.

We remain firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. The use of cages and other close confinement systems for farmed animals is an issue which we are currently considering very carefully. The Department has initiated a series of meetings with key stakeholders, including animal welfare organisations, as part of the development of an animal welfare strategy to be published later this year.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending eligibility for Blue Badges to include voluntary patient transport providers.

It is preferable for disabled individuals to hold their own Blue Badge, allowing them to use it in any vehicle they travel in, whether as a driver or a passenger. However, an organisational Blue Badge may be issued to an organisation for use in vehicles transporting disabled people who would individually qualify for a badge, as set out in Section 4(2) of the Disabled Persons (Badges for Motor Vehicles) (England) Regulations 2000. Local authorities must be able to confirm that the organisation both cares for and regularly transports individuals who meet the eligibility criteria for a personal Blue Badge, and that there is a clear operational need for an organisational badge rather than relying on individual badges.

What information her Department holds on average cab temperatures on buses in periods of hot weather; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of average cab temperatures on the health of bus drivers.

The Department for Transport does not hold this information. The Government recognises the importance of ensuring all transport workers have access to suitable working conditions. The majority of bus services in England outside London are provided on a commercial basis by private operators, who are responsible for ensuring their employees have access to healthy and safe working conditions.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to encourage local authorities to undertake high street rental auctions.

The government is working with eleven early adopter councils who are taking steps to implement High Street Rental Auction powers to showcase their benefits and provide a source of best practice for other councils. My officials are also providing practical support and guidance to other councils and we have made up to £1 million available in 2025/26 to support the creation of vacancy registers and fund property refurbishments, as well as new burdens funding for local authority administrative costs.

What recent discussions his Department has had with Integrated Care Boards on (a) increasing vaccination rates for and (b) prevention of measles.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) declared a national standard incident response for measles on 10 July 2025 to oversee the risk assessment and public health response to the increase of measles cases in England and coordinate the multi-agency input to the response nationally with the aim of limiting further spread. The Department, UKHSA and the National Health Service are already working with local partners to undertake community and stakeholder engagement to raise awareness that measles is circulating, promote the importance of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination and target catch-up efforts at key under vaccinated communities and in a range of settings.NHS England is working with local health teams, including integrated care boards, to monitor reported measle cases, provide advice and support local communities to be aware of action they can take to protect themselves, including getting vaccinated.Building on the MMR coverage gains achieved in 2023/24, NHS England continues to deliver national and regional improvement plans that include activities to strengthen the routine vaccination offer and to address inequalities by supporting MMR catch up vaccination by school age vaccination services in schools and community settings, for example, summer ‘catch up’ immunisation clinics are being stood up in some of the areas of England with the lowest MMR uptake including Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton and St Helens.  In London, childhood vaccination clinics have been stood up in outbreak areas including targeted community clinics, pharmacies offering MMR and we are working with school immunisation services to deliver some MMR catch up in schools once term starts. Additional steps are being taken which will strengthen efforts to reduce the risk of future measles outbreaks, including bringing forward MMR vaccination for children so they are protected sooner. There are also plans to explore new ways of delivering vaccinations such as greater use of community pharmacies and during at health visits. Further to this, a new national communications and marketing campaign will kick off in August 2025 with a brand-new programme of always on activity to reach parents, pregnant women and multicultural audiences and encourage uptake of MMR as well as other vaccinations. It is vitally important that everyone takes up the vaccinations they are entitled to, for themselves, their families, and wider society.

Representing the House of Commons Commission, when the external windows were last cleaned on (a) Norman Shaw South, (b) Portcullis House and (c) Richmond House.

The external windows were last cleaned on the following dates.(a) Norman Shaw South: South, East and West façade were last cleaned in February 2025, with the next clean scheduled in August 2025. The North façade is unable to be cleaned due to reach and wash equipment unable to access due to the Norman Shaw North works.(b) Portcullis House: Internal façade (overlooking the Atrium) was cleaned in June 2025 and the external façade was cleaned in May 2025; both areas scheduled to be cleaned in November 2025.(c) Richmond House windows last cleaned in April 2025 with the next clean scheduled for October 2025.

What recent progress he has made on consulting animal welfare organisations on the review of fireworks legislation.

I have met with several animal charities in recent months, including Dogs Trust, the RSPCA and Redwings, through the fireworks working group. I continue to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on the issues and impacts of fireworks. It is important that we ensure the safe, responsible and considerate use of fireworks for business and consumers alike.

Whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of moving to (a) single and (b) double summer time on cumulative carbon emissions.

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 a recent assessment of the impact on cumulative carbon emissions. The Government is fully committed to complying with the statutory duties outlined in the Climate Change Act and reaching net zero by 2050.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact the Pension Schemes Bill on the savings of people in (a) Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard constituency and (b) East of England.

The Pension Schemes Bill could mean nationally an average earner saving over their career may have around £29,000 more in their Defined Contribution pension pot at retirement. In total, around 20 million savers could benefit from the Bill and around 2 million are estimated to be in the East of England. Breakdowns by constituency are not available. See page 52-53 of the Pension Schemes Bill Impact Assessment for further details.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the report entitled Annual Shared Micromobility Report 2024 published by CoMoUK.

We are committed to growing shared micromobility in Great Britain. The Government continues to trial rental e-scooters so we can learn what works, and on 21 July I announced these trials will be extended to May 2028, and for the first time since the trials began, I am offering new towns and cities the opportunity to join. Cycle sharing is already here and growing, as highlighted by this report. The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill introduced on 10 July included a measure to regulate on-street micromobility services which will give our local leaders the powers to regulate shared micromobility so they can shape these schemes around their needs, connect people to public transport, and ensure they are used safely and responsibly.

Whether her Department is considering taking steps to reform the escalation process for Penalty Charge Notices in cases where the original notice was for a minor offence and was not received by the registered keeper.

With regard to on-street parking, local highway authorities are responsible for enforcing parking restrictions under the system of Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE). Penalty charge notices must be issued in line with the Secretary of State’s ‘Statutory Guidance on the Civil Enforcement of Parking Contraventions’ which is available at:www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-enforcement-of-parking-contraventions/The Department has no plans to change the process for issuing Penalty Charge Notices.With regard to private and off-street parking, policy on this including enforcement is the responsibility of the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to introduce species-specific requirements for the slaughter of farmed fish.

Since publication of the Animal Welfare Committee’s updated Opinion on the welfare of farmed fish at the time of killing a GB-wide joint government-industry working group on farmed trout has been examining the issues raised in the report. This co-design work has made good progress on exploring potential options for more detailed welfare at killing requirements. We are now exploring all the potential next steps, including options for creating detailed guidance and new legislation. The Scottish Government is also working closely with the salmon industry on more detailed welfare at killing requirements.

What steps her Department is taking to improve the provision of basic life support education in schools.

All state-funded schools are required to teach first aid as part of the statutory health education curriculum, as part of relationships, sex and health education. This includes basic treatment for common injuries, life-saving skills, including how to administer CPR and the purpose of defibrillators and when one might be needed.

Whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of transferring responsibility for the licensing of animal testing to the (a) Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and (b) Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

It is the responsibility of the Cabinet Office to consider the benefits of any changes to the allocation of responsibilities between different government departments.

How many arm’s-length bodies provided funding to Understanding Animal Research in the 2024–25 financial year, broken down by the amount of funding provided by each body.

Information on how issued funding is spent by arms length bodies, including any membership of third party organisations, is not gathered centrally.