Written questions by Rosindell.

What steps she has taken with police forces to tackle a) physical and b) verbal abuse against retail workers.

Charges for shop theft rose by 25% (up to 107,090 charges) in the year ending June 2025. As this was a higher rate of increase than the rise in shop thefts recorded (13%), this led to an increase in the charge rate from 17.7% to 19.1%.This Government is committed to restoring visible, responsive neighbourhood policing with 3,000 additional officers in neighbourhood policing roles by spring this year.In the Crime and Policing Bill, we are bringing a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores and we are removing the legislation which makes shop theft of and below £200 a summary-only offence, sending a clear message that any level of shop theft is illegal and will be taken seriously.The Home Office has regular discussions with the police and other partners on protecting retail workers and tackling shop theft.We are also providing over £7 million over the next three years to support the police and retailers tackle retail crime, including continuing to fund a specialist policing team – in partnership with the retail sector - to better understand the tactics used by organised retail crime gangs and identify more offenders.

What steps she has taken with police forces to tackle shoplifting in a) England and b) Romford constituency.

Charges for shop theft rose by 25% (up to 107,090 charges) in the year ending June 2025. As this was a higher rate of increase than the rise in shop thefts recorded (13%), this led to an increase in the charge rate from 17.7% to 19.1%.This Government is committed to restoring visible, responsive neighbourhood policing with 3,000 additional officers in neighbourhood policing roles by spring this year.In the Crime and Policing Bill, we are bringing a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores and we are removing the legislation which makes shop theft of and below £200 a summary-only offence, sending a clear message that any level of shop theft is illegal and will be taken seriously.The Home Office has regular discussions with the police and other partners on protecting retail workers and tackling shop theft.We are also providing over £7 million over the next three years to support the police and retailers tackle retail crime, including continuing to fund a specialist policing team – in partnership with the retail sector - to better understand the tactics used by organised retail crime gangs and identify more offenders.

What steps she has taken to improve awareness of cardiopulmonary resuscitation techniques amongst pupils in state a) primary and b) secondary schools in i) England and ii) Romford constituency.

I refer the hon. Member for Romford to the answer of 28 November 2025 to Question 92868.

What steps she has taken to ensure the fire safety of train stations in a) England and b) Romford constituency.

Infrastructure managers are under statutory duties to ensure the safety of those using railways stations in Great Britain and are overseen by the Office of Rail and Road as the independent rail safety regulator. They must ensure that stations meet all legal requirements, including those relating to fire safety. Network Rail is the infrastructure manager for most of the mainline railway, but some stations in the Romford constituency are managed by Transport for London.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of microplastics in the British food chain.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) continues to monitor and assess emerging data regarding microplastics in food. The Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products, and the Environment (COT), an independent scientific committee that provides advice to the FSA and other Government departments, is currently considering the issue of microplastics. The FSA is keeping the issue of microplastics under review as new evidence becomes available.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she has taken with industry leaders to help reduce the prevalence of microplastics in foodstuffs.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) works with industry to ensure UK food safety, enforcing strict rules on plastic food contact materials to prevent contamination. Microplastics are not intentionally added to food but may appear due to pollution or plastic breakdown in general. The FSA monitors ongoing research, provides scientific advice, and supports strategies to reduce plastic pollution and microplastic entry into the food chain.

What his planned timeline is for the operational deployment of autonomous surface vessels by the Royal Navy.

The Royal Navy’s ‘Hybrid Navy’ proposition will embrace autonomy in the coming years with the future programme being developed in accordance with the Strategic Defence Review. Uncrewed and autonomous systems will be incorporated into the domain capabilities over the next five years, with the exact numbers and levels of investment apportioned to these systems to be determined as part of the Defence Investment Plan.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2025 to Question 22583 on Government Departments: Procurement, whether he has had further discussions with the Institution of Civil Engineers on releasing a new edition of the Construction Playbook.

A refreshed Construction Playbook is now due to be published in Summer 2026. Officials will engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including the Institute of Civil Engineers, to ensure that the Playbook continues to reflect procurement best practice in the usual way.

What steps she has taken to promote classical education within the state education sector.

The government is committed to supporting a broad and balanced curriculum that is inclusive and accessible to all pupils. Classical education, including classical studies and the study of ancient languages, offers valuable insights into history, language development, politics and art, and can enrich pupils’ understanding of the world today. All schools are free to include Classics within their curriculum, and GCSEs and A levels are available in this subject.The department continues to work with organisations such as Classics for All, The Classical Association and Hands Up Education to ensure schools are aware of the free resources and support available to teach this subject.To further strengthen subject expertise, we provide bursaries for trainee language teachers, including those training to teach ancient languages. For the 2026/27 academic year, this will be £20,000.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 21 January 2026 to question UIN 104660, what the average time was between receipt of a regulation 21 change control application by the BSR and notification of the applicant of the approval of the application.

Notifiable or Major Change notifications are added to existing applications which are already in build and have been determined with approval granted. As such, Major or Notifiable works are not treated as new applications and the time taken is not reported upon.

What steps he has taken to reduce instances of hospital corridor care in a) England and b) Romford constituency.

We recognise that the provision of clinical care in corridors or other non-designated clinical areas is unacceptable and we are committed to eradicating it from our National Health Service.Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, published in June 2025, set out steps we are taking to ensure that patients will receive better, faster, and more appropriate emergency care this winter, backed by a total of nearly £450 million of funding. This includes a commitment to publish data on the prevalence of corridor care.NHS England has been working with trusts to put in place new reporting arrangements regarding the use of corridor care to drive improvement and data transparency. The data quality is currently being reviewed, and we expect to publish the information shortly.We are also introducing new clinical operational standards for the first 72 hours of care, setting clear expectations for timely reviews and specialist input, further supporting our efforts to eliminate corridor care and improve patient experience.In December, NHS England published updated guidance on providing care in corridors to support trusts with making decisions on corridor care transparently, with clear governance and oversight to reduce impacts on patients and staff and to ensure the safety and dignity of patients.

How many NHS patients have been treated in hospital corridors in each year since 2010 in a) England and b) Romford constituency.

We recognise that the provision of clinical care in corridors or other non-designated clinical areas is unacceptable and we are committed to eradicating it from our National Health Service.Our Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, published in June 2025, set out steps we are taking to ensure that patients will receive better, faster, and more appropriate emergency care this winter, backed by a total of nearly £450 million of funding. This includes a commitment to publish data on the prevalence of corridor care.NHS England has been working with trusts to put in place new reporting arrangements regarding the use of corridor care to drive improvement and data transparency. The data quality is currently being reviewed, and we expect to publish the information shortly.We are also introducing new clinical operational standards for the first 72 hours of care, setting clear expectations for timely reviews and specialist input, further supporting our efforts to eliminate corridor care and improve patient experience.In December, NHS England published updated guidance on providing care in corridors to support trusts with making decisions on corridor care transparently, with clear governance and oversight to reduce impacts on patients and staff and to ensure the safety and dignity of patients.

When she plans to answer Questions 102720, 102721, 102722 and 102723.

The response to Written Parliamentary Questions 102720, 102721, 102722 and 102723 was published on 28 January 2026.

If she will make it her department’s policy to introduce a mandatory excess reimbursement for innocent parties in motor vehicle accidents.

Insurers make commercial decisions about pricing and the terms of cover, they offer, including no claims discounts, based on their assessment of the relevant risks. The government does not generally intervene in these decisions by insurance companies and has no plans to add to existing legislation at this time. However, the government is determined that insurers should treat customers fairly and firms are required to do under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules. The FCA requires firms to ensure their products offer fair value, meaning the price paid by consumers should be reasonable compared to the overall benefits received. FCA rules also require insurers to handle claims fairly and promptly, provide appropriate guidance throughout the claims process, avoid unreasonable rejection, and settle claims promptly once terms are agreed. The government launched a cross-government Motor Insurance Taskforce in October 2024 to address the rising costs of motor insurance, identifying short and long-term actions aimed at stabilising or reducing premiums, while maintaining appropriate levels of cover. The Taskforce’s final report, setting out actions being taken by government, regulators and industry to help reduce premium costs, was published in December 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to support the (a) mental and (b) physical health of the homeless population in (i) England and (ii) Romford constituency.

Our National Plan to End Homelessness sets out action to improve health access for people experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping, in alignment with the 10-Year Health Plan for England. As part of this, we will establish Neighbourhood Health Centres in areas with the lowest healthy life expectancy, acting as ‘one-stop shops’ for patient care and hubs for multi-disciplinary teams delivering holistic, trauma-informed services.We will test a new model of community care for people for people living with severe mental illness through 24/7 Neighbourhood Mental Health Centres in six pilot sites and 16 associate sites, to improve access to mental health support, including for people experiencing homelessness or rough sleeping.We will invest £185 million from 2026-29 and continue to fund the Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol treatment programme.Councils can also use their Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant 2025/26 funding flexibly to meet the needs of people in their areas, including by delivering specialist mental and physical health services. Havering Council received £379,926 funding through this grant this year.To support the health of families in temporary accommodation, we will introduce a new duty on homelessness teams in local councils to notify schools, health visitors and GPs that a child is in temporary accommodation, helping ensure that they are appropriately supported.

What steps she has taken to support businesses with the movement of small parcels between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

The Government is committed to ensuring the smooth flow of goods within the UK internal market. On 1 May, the Government introduced important new arrangements for freight and parcels movements to ensure that goods can continue to move smoothly from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, and ahead of these new arrangements, HMRC had an extensive readiness programme to support businesses. These new arrangements ensure that parcels sent to or from consumers will not be subject to customs declarations or duty.Guidance for businesses sending parcels from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is available at: www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-send-parcels-from-a-business-in-great-britain-to-a-private-individual-or-a-business-in-northern-ireland Parcels that move from Northern Ireland to Great Britain continue to be able to benefit from unfettered access.

What steps she has taken to ensure the physical safety of public transport workers in (a) London and (b) Romford constituency.

My Department is committed to ensuring that public transport workers are safe at work. As transport in London is devolved, it is for the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL) to work with the British Transport Police (BTP) and the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to ensure the physical safety of their workers is maintained. BTP continue to take robust action to ensure the physical safety of rail workers in London, including Romford. Their approach is intelligence led, focusing resources on areas and individuals identified through crime data and repeat offending patterns. They work closely with TfL and other rail operators to improve incident reporting, to ensure that all forms of abuse, whether physical, verbal or threatening, are recorded. This partnership strengthens intelligence and enables more effective operational planning.

Whether she plans to regulate dynamic pricing structures within the private hire vehicle sector.

Pricing structures are a commercial matter for private hire vehicle operators. All private hire vehicle journeys must be booked in advance and so passengers are able to compare services on price and other factors before making a booking.

If she will prohibit insurers from a) increasing premiums and b) removing no-claims discounts for hit-and-run victims in motor vehicle accidents.

Insurers make commercial decisions about pricing and the terms of cover, they offer, including no claims discounts, based on their assessment of the relevant risks. The government does not generally intervene in these decisions by insurance companies and has no plans to add to existing legislation at this time. However, the government is determined that insurers should treat customers fairly and firms are required to do under Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules. The FCA requires firms to ensure their products offer fair value, meaning the price paid by consumers should be reasonable compared to the overall benefits received. FCA rules also require insurers to handle claims fairly and promptly, provide appropriate guidance throughout the claims process, avoid unreasonable rejection, and settle claims promptly once terms are agreed. The government launched a cross-government Motor Insurance Taskforce in October 2024 to address the rising costs of motor insurance, identifying short and long-term actions aimed at stabilising or reducing premiums, while maintaining appropriate levels of cover. The Taskforce’s final report, setting out actions being taken by government, regulators and industry to help reduce premium costs, was published in December 2025.

Communities and Local Government, if he will have discussions with the Mayor of London on introducing a statutory right to the Older Person's Freedom Pass for eligible residents in areas served by Transport for London.

Transport in London is a devolved matter for London, and it is for the Mayor of London to make decisions on eligibility of concessionary fares on the TfL network.