Written questions by Mayer.

How many incidents of dog bites have been recorded in the most recent 12 month period for which data is available.

The latest available data for the year ending December 2024 showed that there were 31,345 offences of an “Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in any place in England or Wales (whether or not a public place) injuring any person or assistance dog” or of an "Owner or person in charge allowing a dog to enter a non-public place and injure any person" recorded by the police in England and Wales.

How many regulatory tests were carried out on animals where non-animal methods were available in 2024.

The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) protects animals in scientific research by prohibiting their use if there is a practicable and validated non-animal alternative that would achieve the scientific outcome(s) sought.

With reference to data table 7.2 of her Department's statistics entitled Annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals, Great Britain 2023: data tables, published on 11 September 2024, what legislation on medicinal products for human use required the use of dogs in regulatory procedures.

We are working with regulators to see how advances in technology can and will reduce use and phase out use in some areas.The explicit requirement for using animals in toxicology tests comes from section 50 (5) to the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 (as amended 2019 and 2020). Therefore, in most cases, new drugs are required to be tested in two animal species for public safety and efficacy purposes. There are rare exceptions where the medicine has no pharmacological effect in any species other than humans where this may not be applied.Although much research can be done without using animals, there are still purposes where use of live animals is essential, as the complexity of whole biological systems cannot be reliably replicated using validated alternative methodologies. Animal testing is therefore required by all global medicines regulators, including the UK’s Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). We are working with regulators to see how advances in technology can and will reduce use and phase out use in some areas.

Whether her Department holds data on the types of tickets used by bus passengers for different journey purposes.

The Department regularly considers a range of evidence when considering the typical journey purposes of bus users using different types of tickets. Our most recent published work in this area was the evaluation of the £2 bus fare cap, published on GOV.UK in February 2025, and the research report 'Increasing bus patronage through an audience strategy', published on GOV.UK in June 2023. These reports identified the main ticket types and journey purposes of key passenger groups.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate her Department has made of the amount of developer contributions held unspent by local authorities.

I refer the hon Member to the answer to Question UIN 2673 on 6 September 2024.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of US tariffs on the bus and coach sector.

Buses and coaches are exempt from the additional 25% tariffs the US is imposing on the automotive sector. However, they are still included in the 10% baseline tariffs, posing challenges for businesses. In March 2025, the Minister for Local Transport launched the UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel, regularly bringing together industry experts to ensure the UK remains a leader in bus manufacturing. This government is committed to supporting the automotive sector, a crucial part of our manufacturing base. While preparing for all scenarios, our priority is to strengthen our economic relationship with the US through constructive discussions.

What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on improving public transport for construction workers accessing the site of the future Universal theme park.

The Government worked closely with Universal Destinations & Experiences to secure its first investment in Europe, which could be worth £50 billion in economic benefits, and create an estimate 28,000 jobs in the creative, hospitality and construction sectors. The Government will continue to work with Universal and other organisations involved in the delivery of this project to ensure operations are sustainable, which will include enabling construction and other workers to access the site via public transport.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the reported levels of bus passenger satisfaction in the report by Transport Focus entitled Your Bus Journey, published on 25 March 2025.

The Department for Transport welcomes the valuable insight provided by Transport Focus's 'Your Bus Journey' report published on 25 March 2025. My officials meet regularly with Transport Focus as part of our ongoing work, and these findings are informing policy development to improve bus services across the country. The government wants to see bus passenger satisfaction continue to rise across the country as we deliver our reforms, including through the introduction of the Bus Services (No.2) Bill and the £1 billion we are investing to support and improve bus services. We are also undertaking a programme of work to explore opportunities for passenger improvement, for example complaint handling and escalation pathways.

With reference to data table 7.3 in the Annual statistics of scientific procedures on living animals, Great Britain 2023: data tables, published on 11 September 2024, what the legislation satisfying EU requirements was that required the 2581 procedures carried out on dogs.

With reference to the Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals in Great Britain 2023, Table 7.3, the legislative requirements for the 2581 procedures carried out on dogs which satisfy EU requirements were: 2263 procedures that satisfied medicinal products for human use legislation; 205 procedures to satisfy plant protection product legislation; 111 procedures to satisfy medicinal products and veterinary use and their residues legislation; and, 2 procedures to satisfy industrial chemicals legislation

With reference to her Department's guidance entitled Demand responsive transport: local authority toolkit, published on 13 April 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of Demand Responsive Transport (a) as feeder services to existing rail and bus services and (b) in general.

The government believes demand responsive transport (DRT) has an important role to play in ensuring communities can access transport services in areas where more traditional, regular stopping services may not be viable. The Department has funded 16 innovative DRT pilots through the Rural Mobility Fund. Each scheme is taking part in a detailed monitoring and evaluation process. This will provide a strong base of evidence and good practice for DRT and a better understanding of both the role it can play in rural areas and the challenges associated with introducing it. The final process evaluation will be published later in 2025, and an impact and value for money evaluation is just commencing, with findings available in late 2026.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of exam marking for public qualifications.

The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) is the independent regulator of qualifications, exams and assessments in England. Ofqual is responsible for ensuring that regulated qualifications reliably indicate the knowledge, skills and understanding students have demonstrated in their exams and assessments, including through marking and standard setting. I have asked its Chief Regulator, Sir Ian Bauckham, to write to the hon. Member directly, and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to reduce the number of deaths of dogs in greyhound racing.

Defra works with the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) to ensure greyhound racing is a safe as possible. Each year since 2018 GBGB has published data for the deaths of greyhounds from GBGB affiliated tracks and trainers. This data is published online at https://www.gbgb.org.uk/welfare-care/injury-and-retirement-data/ Defra monitors the figures published by GBGB for any identifiable trends.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the decision to increase parking penalties in London on her Department's review of penalty charge notice research.

This Government believes that transport decisions in London, including the level of penalty charge notices (PCN), should be for the Mayor of London. A group of local government and other stakeholders has submitted research to Ministers on PCN levels outside London. The Department will consider carefully their findings and recommendations along with other relevant evidence before any decision is taken.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of sanctions applied by the Animals in Science Regulation Unit for incidents of non-compliance with licence conditions or with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

The Animals in Science Regulator has published its compliance framework which explains how it identifies and investigates potential incidents of non-compliance and decides on appropriate and proportionate measures and remedies where non-compliance has been found to occur. The Regulator’s published compliance policy aims to reduce the risk of future non-compliance.All cases of non-compliance are thoroughly investigated, and the outcomes are published in ASRU’s annual report.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of remote enforcement letters on coach operators.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) developed its desk-based assessment (DBA) policy and processes, in collaboration with Traffic Commissioners and industry stakeholders before its introduction, over ten years ago.DVSA introduced DBAs to reduce time constraints on heavy goods vehicle and coach operators. DBAs give DVSA a more efficient, and less intrusive, method of evaluating an operator's compliance level, rather than conducting physical frontline visits.DVSA’s remote assessment approach allows operators to submit data or respond to DBAs and intervention letters at a time that best suit their business and minimise any disruption.

Representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2025 to Question 28325 on Parliamentary Estate: Detergents, if he will list the cleaning products used on the parliamentary estate that are not certified as cruelty-free.

On 31 March 2025 usage of a further four products which were not certified as cruelty-free was ceased. The remaining cleaning products used on the parliamentary estate that are not certified as cruelty-free are:Suma Calc D5 DescalerSuma Grill D9 Oven and Grill CleanerSuma Inox D7.1 Stainless Steel PolishCarefree Shine & Care Floor PolishCarefree Polish Speed StripperOur cleaning contractor is currently in the process of sourcing suitable alternatives.

With reference to the English Devolution White Paper, published on 16 December 2024, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of shared transport responsibilities by (a) strategic authorities and (b) local authorities on planning for street works.

Highway authorities have a duty to co-ordinate all works on their network. This will remain the case under any English devolution arrangement with highway authorities remaining responsible for managing street works in their area. The White Paper sets out that government will encourage Strategic Authorities to streamline highways arrangements across their area, which could result in improved coordination of street works between neighbouring highway authorities or with National Highways.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of exempting electric bus operators from Ofgem’s residual network charge reforms in 2023 on those operators.

My department continues to support bus decarbonisation, and to engage closely with both Ofgem and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.Ofgem is aware that the reforms are causing concerns for a small number of specialist sites, and are active in industry working groups relating to sites with high-capacity usage and low utilisation and EV charging. In addition, Ofgem is currently undertaking a broad review of system costs to consider whether other cost recovery options provide potential for improvements. Across this work, Ofgem will ensure bus charging is given consideration.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the written statement of 25 February 2025 entitled NFU conference: Boosting farm profitability, HCWS469, what his definition is of high welfare products in the context of Government catering contracts; and what farmed animal species will be covered by this policy.

The National Procurement Policy Statement underscores the Government's commitment to increasing the procurement of food that meets higher environmental standards, supporting local suppliers and upholding ethical sourcing practises across public sector contracts. This includes sourcing products from all farmed animals which have been raised to high UK welfare standards as defined in current animal welfare legislation.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of Part 2 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 on the rollout of 5G.

The Government outlined its estimates of the potential impact of Part 2 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 in its de minimis impact assessment. The impact assessment can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/627a76c88fa8f57d86f3f0ce/De_Minimist_Impact_Assessment_-_Telecommunications_Infrastructure__PSTI_Bill_.pdf. A specific assessment in relation to 5G rollout was not carried out.The Act introduced a range of measures intended to optimise the use of existing apparatus and to support network deployment. Most measures are now in force, and the government is committed to implementing all remaining provisions as soon as possible.