Written questions by Mayer.

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.

If she will provide a list of the locations that Asylum Move-On Liaison Officers are based in England.

We have placed Asylum Move‑On Liaison Officers (AMLOs) in 59 local authorities across the UK, working alongside Migrant Help to support individuals who will be leaving asylum accommodation.In England, we have AMLO presence in the following regions:– London– West Midlands– East Midlands– North West– Yorkshire and the Humber– South East– South WestAMLO deployment is kept under regular review to ensure support is directed appropriately.

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.

To provide the postcodes of the recharging sites which secured funding from the ZEHID scheme.

The postcodes alongside an interactive map for the 75 recharging locations that have secured funding through the ZEHID programme can be found at https://iuk-business-connect.org.uk/programme/zero-emission-heavy-goods-vehicles-and-infrastructure by clicking Insights, Implementation and ‘Explore the Map’. These will be updated periodically.

How many grants and of what value have been made from the £30 million Depot Charging Scheme to businesses using (a) HGVs (b) coaches (c) other.

As part of the Depot Charging Scheme, launched in July 2025, 92 projects valued at £33 million have been awarded grant funding to support uptake of battery electric (BE) HGVs, vans and coaches by part-funding the installation of charging infrastructure at fleet depots. These awards break down as follows:46 projects, totalling £20,078,966, include at least one eligible BE HGV;3 projects, totalling £1,164,582, include at least one BE coach;43 projects, totalling £11,701,679, do not include a BE HGV or coach.

Representing the House of Common Commission, what steps the Commission is taking to increase use of cruelty free products on the parliamentary estate.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2 April 2025 to UIN 40025. As previously stated, five products remain in use that are not certified as cruelty-free.The cleaning contractor has identified two products (Cleanline Glass & Stainless Steel Cleaner and Cleanline Floor Polish) that meet requirements for cruelty-free certification and will transition to these going forward. However, as they currently hold existing stock of the previous products, these will be used before the new products are fully adopted.For the remaining three products, although alternative options have been trialled, none have yet met the required performance standards. The cleaning contractor will continue to explore suitable alternatives.

Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the potential social and educational value of uniformed youth groups such as cubs, scouts and cadet units.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport commissioned an independent provider (Ipsos) to conduct an evaluation covering the Uniformed Youth Fund from 2022 to 2025, which was published on 11th September 2025. The research found uniformed youth organisations (UYOs) contribute to the social and emotional development of young people by providing them with structured activities and supportive environments, enhancing young people’s cooperation skills, communication, and confidence. UYOs also enhance education and career opportunities for young people by providing them with valuable skills for life and work and supporting their academic attainment through diverse activities.

When the next UK–EU summit is expected to take place in 2026.

The UK and the EU have committed to hold annual summits. The first ever UK - EU summit took place in May 2025. The date of the next summit will be confirmed in due course.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the process for compensating general practitioners for the use of health facilities owned by local authorities.

General practices operate as independent businesses, providing National Health Services, and practices are eligible for reimbursement of certain costs. Terms depend on the ownership or occupation arrangements for the property, as set out in the Premises Costs Directions (PCDs) 2024.The PCDs are directions to NHS England from my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in relation to reimbursements of certain costs incurred by General Medical Services contractors, relating to their practice premises, principally notional rent or rent reimbursement, and some day-to-day running costs. This applies to properties owned by local authorities.

Communities and Local Government, if his Department will make an estimate of the number of (a) unused and (b) underused office space by local councils.

Local authorities are independent bodies responsible for managing their own estates. MHCLG does not hold this information centrally and is unable to make an estimate.

Media and Sport, how many licence fee enforcement letters were sent by the BBC in the last financial year and every other year for which data is available.

The TV Licensing website states that in 2024/25, approximately 72 million items of mail for TV Licensing were sent. This information is published at https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/about/foi-administering-the-licence-fee-AB20The BBC is responsible for the collection and enforcement of the licence fee. The Government is therefore not involved in TV Licensing operations and we do not hold exact information on the number of letters it sends to households, or how many of these would relate to enforcement.

To list the (a) individuals and (b) organisations that her Department is consulting as part of its research to better understand the adoption process under the Highways Act 1980 and how it might be improved in the future.

Ipsos UK has been commissioned by the Department for Transport to conduct research into the operation of sections 37 and 38 of the Highways Act 1980 and to assess whether the current road adoption system remains fit for purpose. As part of this work, Ipsos are engaging a range of organisations, including house builders of varying sizes, local highway and planning authorities, councillors, and residents. Residents have been sampled from areas including Cambridge, Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Northumberland, Barnsley, Cheshire East, Gloucestershire and Milton Keynes. Interviews have also been conducted with several local authorities including Warwickshire, Barnsley, Cambridge, Cheshire East, Leicestershire, Kent and Shropshire. Ipsos UK was commissioned to deliver anonymous qualitative interviews. To honour the confidentiality promised to participants, Ipsos has not shared the detailed list of individual housebuilders with the Department, and therefore DfT does not hold this information.

Communities and Local Government, to list highway improvements funded through Government grants from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) in the East of England.

Delivery of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) is delegated to lead local authorities who are responsible for managing the funding allocation for their area, including assessing and approving project applications, processing payments and day-to-day monitoring. As a result, MHCLG does not hold detailed project level data.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Animal Welfare Strategy for England, what is the timeline for the publication of the evidence base on welfare issues affecting decapod crustaceans.

The Government is committed to an evidence-based and proportionate approach to setting welfare standards for decapod crustaceans. The Government set out in the Animal Welfare Strategy that it will develop this evidence base through research and continued stakeholder engagement. Research on how live decapods move from sea to plate is due to finish later this year and a project on the welfare of decapod crustaceans across the supply chain is included in the Animal Welfare Committee’s current work plan.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Animal Welfare Strategy for England, when the guidance on the welfare of decapods at time of killing will be published; and whether killing methods beyond live boiling are to be included in the Strategy.

The Government will publish guidance on which methods of killing decapods are compatible with the existing legal requirements on animal welfare at time of killing. This guidance is under development.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a single national reporting route for instances of fly-tipping.

Individuals can already report illegal waste activity anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online. Local authorities are often best placed to tackle local issues such as fly-tipping, and so any single national reporting route would need to pass reports on to the relevant local authority. Incidents can already be reported to the relevant local authority online. Individuals can get help on identifying the relevant local authority webpage at: https://www.gov.uk/report-flytipping.