Written questions by Snowden.

Innovation and Technology, if his Department will issue guidance to retailers on ethical standards for the use of facial recognition technology.

The use of live facial recognition technology (LFRT) in retail is governed by multiple legal frameworks, including data protection, employment, equalities, and human rights law. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the data protection regulator, has issued guidance clarifying that retailers may use FRT to prevent crime, such as shoplifting, if it is necessary, proportionate, and lawful. The guidance also clarifies that, where FRT captures personal or sensitive data, it is regulated under UK’s data protection framework. Using FRT in this way will require retailers to be aware and comply with key principles such as fairness, transparency, accuracy and retention. DSIT continues to monitor developments in this space and supports the ICO’s role in providing guidance to organisations to help their compliance.

Whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on taking steps to help ensure that transport links are adequate to support funding for cricket facilities at The Dome in Farrington.

The Department provides funding to local authorities to deliver their local transport priorities. For Lancashire Combined County Authority, this includes over £257 million through the Local Transport Grant between 2025/26 – 2029/30. It is for local leaders to decide how to use this funding for transport maintenance and enhancements. The Local Transport Grant is additional to bus, active travel and highways maintenance funding.

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has had discussions with civil liberties organisations on the use of facial recognition technology in commercial settings.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology engages with a range of stakeholders, including civil society organisations, regarding privacy and data protection matters. The government recognises the benefits of deploying FRT systems in commercial settings, where these are used proportionately, responsibly, and in compliance with the UK’s data protection framework, as well as other relevant legal frameworks. The Information Commissioner’s Office has also issued guidance to support organisations in complying with data protection law, and this can be found here.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the current Child Maintenance Service income-based model on middle-income paying parents.

The Child Maintenance Service operates on the principle that both parents have financial responsibility for their child, including their food and clothing, as well as contributing towards the associated costs of running the home that the child lives in. For a paying parent working full time on the UK minimum wage, they will pay 12% of their gross weekly income for one child, 16% for two and 19% for three or more. Those proportions remain constant for all paying parents earning a gross weekly income of between £200 and £800. Information about the paying parent's gross income is taken directly from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for the latest tax year available. This allows calculations to be made quickly and accurately. Any income subject to income tax including bonuses and overtime received by an employed paying parent, is included within their gross weekly income when calculating a child maintenance liability.The Government is conducting a review of the child maintenance calculation to make sure it is fit for purpose. This includes updating the underlying research and considering how to ensure the calculation reflects current and future societal trends.Options for proposed reforms are currently being considered. Any changes made to the child maintenance calculation will be subject to extensive public consultation, which we plan to publish late this year, and if made, will require amendments to legislation so would be subject to Parliamentary scrutiny.

With reference to her Department's press release entitled Justice Secretary introduces democratic lock over Sentencing Council, published on 2 September 2025, what plans she has for enabling Parliament to (a) scrutinise and (b) influence future Sentencing Council guidelines.

The Lord Chancellor has brought forward measures in the Sentencing Bill to ensure that there is stronger democratic and judicial oversight of sentencing guidelines the Sentencing Council produces.The Council will be placed under a statutory obligation to obtain approval from both the Lord Chancellor and Lady Chief Justice for all guidelines. This means that no guidelines can be issued without the Lord Chancellor and Lady Chief Justice each explicitly approving it. The Council will also be required to obtain Lord Chancellor approval of its annual business plan.The Sentencing Council has an existing statutory obligation to consult with the Justice Select Committee on draft sentencing guidelines, which is unaffected by the measures we are taking forward in the Sentencing Bill.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to develop an effective vaccine for bluetongue virus serotype 3.

Defra began working with vaccine manufacturers in 2024 to ensure BTV-3 vaccines were available at the earliest opportunity, and three vaccines have been available in England since September 2024. These vaccines are widely available through normal veterinary wholesalers.

Whether her Department has issued guidance to retailers on the use of live facial recognition technology for (a) security and (b) commercial purposes.

The Home Office has not issued guidance to retailers on the use of live facial recognition technology, as systems used privately are entirely separate from law enforcement systems.However, all users of FR must comply with the law and the ICO has provided supporting guidance on the use of video surveillance.

Innovation and Technology, what safeguards are in place to ensure that facial recognition technology used in supermarkets does not contribute to discriminatory outcomes based on race, gender, age, or disability.

FRT systems should not undermine people’s rights or discriminate unfairly. Under data protection law, organisations need to evaluate the risks to people and their rights deriving from the specific contexts. Supermarkets should be able to demonstrate that they have a lawful basis for the processing of personal data, and that its collection is limited to what is necessary. They must carry out Data Protection Impact Assessments, where there is a high risk to individuals’ rights and freedoms, including risks of bias or discrimination. Supermarkets must comply with the data protection principles of fairness, transparency and accountability when deploying FRT. The Information Commissioner’s Office has clarified that FRT involves the processing of biometric data which is likely to constitute special category data. The processing of such data is subject to additional safeguards under the law. If any significant decision has been made about an individual based solely on automated processing, they have a right to challenge such decision, obtain human intervention and make representations to the controller about them.

What information her Department holds on (a) employment conditions, (b) levels of pay and (c) training undertaken by staff working for subcontractors in migrant hotels.

The provision of asylum accommodation is primarily delivered through the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts. These were competitively tendered and awarded in 2019. These contracts are in place for a 10 year term and details can be found in the contract finder website.It is a requirement of the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) that the AASC providers submit information about subcontractors in their supply chain to the Home Office.The Home Office requires its outsourced contractors to comply with the legal minimum standards of pay of their staff as set out in the Government National Living Wage legislation; again, this is a contractual obligation on the supplier and is monitored through contract compliance mechanisms.Our suppliers of Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) are required to deliver comprehensive training to their staff. The level of training required is dependent on the role being carried out by the staff member. Training standards are a contractual requirement and are monitored through the same mechanisms as referred to above.The Home Office undertakes rigorous performance management of contracted providers in the provision of accommodation services. This is managed directly through the provisions of the AASC contracts which set out the required service performance levels, service requirements and consequences for not delivering these services to the required standards.In addition to our contract management procedures the Home Office, through the AIRE contract with Migrant Help, provides a service for asylum seekers to raise any issues or complaints with the services they receive.

Which companies held contracts for the provision of hotel accommodation for asylum seekers on 1 September 2025; and what the (a) value and (b) duration is for each of those contracts.

The provision of asylum accommodation is primarily delivered through the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts. These were competitively tendered and awarded in 2019. These contracts are in place for a 10 year term and details can be found in the contract finder website.It is a requirement of the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) that the AASC providers submit information about subcontractors in their supply chain to the Home Office.The Home Office requires its outsourced contractors to comply with the legal minimum standards of pay of their staff as set out in the Government National Living Wage legislation; again, this is a contractual obligation on the supplier and is monitored through contract compliance mechanisms.Our suppliers of Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) are required to deliver comprehensive training to their staff. The level of training required is dependent on the role being carried out by the staff member. Training standards are a contractual requirement and are monitored through the same mechanisms as referred to above.The Home Office undertakes rigorous performance management of contracted providers in the provision of accommodation services. This is managed directly through the provisions of the AASC contracts which set out the required service performance levels, service requirements and consequences for not delivering these services to the required standards.In addition to our contract management procedures the Home Office, through the AIRE contract with Migrant Help, provides a service for asylum seekers to raise any issues or complaints with the services they receive.

Whether her Department requires contractors providing hotel accommodation to asylum seekers to disclose their use of subcontractors.

The provision of asylum accommodation is primarily delivered through the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts. These were competitively tendered and awarded in 2019. These contracts are in place for a 10 year term and details can be found in the contract finder website.It is a requirement of the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) that the AASC providers submit information about subcontractors in their supply chain to the Home Office.The Home Office requires its outsourced contractors to comply with the legal minimum standards of pay of their staff as set out in the Government National Living Wage legislation; again, this is a contractual obligation on the supplier and is monitored through contract compliance mechanisms.Our suppliers of Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) are required to deliver comprehensive training to their staff. The level of training required is dependent on the role being carried out by the staff member. Training standards are a contractual requirement and are monitored through the same mechanisms as referred to above.The Home Office undertakes rigorous performance management of contracted providers in the provision of accommodation services. This is managed directly through the provisions of the AASC contracts which set out the required service performance levels, service requirements and consequences for not delivering these services to the required standards.In addition to our contract management procedures the Home Office, through the AIRE contract with Migrant Help, provides a service for asylum seekers to raise any issues or complaints with the services they receive.

Whether her Department holds information on any (a) complaints and (b) concerns received from people housed in migrant hotels on the (i) conduct and (ii) quality of services provided by (A) private contractors and (B) subcontractors.

The provision of asylum accommodation is primarily delivered through the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts. These were competitively tendered and awarded in 2019. These contracts are in place for a 10 year term and details can be found in the contract finder website.It is a requirement of the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) that the AASC providers submit information about subcontractors in their supply chain to the Home Office.The Home Office requires its outsourced contractors to comply with the legal minimum standards of pay of their staff as set out in the Government National Living Wage legislation; again, this is a contractual obligation on the supplier and is monitored through contract compliance mechanisms.Our suppliers of Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) are required to deliver comprehensive training to their staff. The level of training required is dependent on the role being carried out by the staff member. Training standards are a contractual requirement and are monitored through the same mechanisms as referred to above.The Home Office undertakes rigorous performance management of contracted providers in the provision of accommodation services. This is managed directly through the provisions of the AASC contracts which set out the required service performance levels, service requirements and consequences for not delivering these services to the required standards.In addition to our contract management procedures the Home Office, through the AIRE contract with Migrant Help, provides a service for asylum seekers to raise any issues or complaints with the services they receive.

What proportion of ongoing contracts for the provision of migrant hotel services were awarded through (a) competitive tender, (b) direct award and (c) emergency procurement.

The provision of asylum accommodation is primarily delivered through the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts. These were competitively tendered and awarded in 2019. These contracts are in place for a 10 year term and details can be found in the contract finder website.It is a requirement of the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) that the AASC providers submit information about subcontractors in their supply chain to the Home Office.The Home Office requires its outsourced contractors to comply with the legal minimum standards of pay of their staff as set out in the Government National Living Wage legislation; again, this is a contractual obligation on the supplier and is monitored through contract compliance mechanisms.Our suppliers of Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC) are required to deliver comprehensive training to their staff. The level of training required is dependent on the role being carried out by the staff member. Training standards are a contractual requirement and are monitored through the same mechanisms as referred to above.The Home Office undertakes rigorous performance management of contracted providers in the provision of accommodation services. This is managed directly through the provisions of the AASC contracts which set out the required service performance levels, service requirements and consequences for not delivering these services to the required standards.In addition to our contract management procedures the Home Office, through the AIRE contract with Migrant Help, provides a service for asylum seekers to raise any issues or complaints with the services they receive.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to prevent the spread of bluetongue BTV3 disease among animals in England.

Defra’s disease control measures aim to limit the spread of infection, whilst balancing the burdens of controls against the benefits of eradication of bluetongue. Defra acted quickly to contain bluetongue serotype 3 (BTV-3) when the first case was detected on 26 August 2024, implementing zones with movement controls on susceptible livestock to prevent spread. These disease control restrictions have been adapted in response to new findings and there is now a single restricted zone (RZ) covering the whole of England. This change was made because the area in England where disease has been found is now too large for movement restrictions to remain an effective and proportionate way of controlling the disease. Vaccination remains the most effective long-term approach for reducing the impacts of bluetongue disease throughout the UK. Defra has permitted the use of vaccines for BTV-3 and these vaccines are now widely available for vets to prescribe in England.We urge farmers to consider vaccination in consultation with their private vet. Defra and APHA continue to test animals with suspect clinical signs and remain vigilant for any new serotypes or changes in clinical signs, and are working closely with key industry stakeholders to review how we approach controls for BTV-3.

What data her Department holds on the demographics of people who have taken bus journeys which were eligible for the price far cap.

The Department is currently undertaking an evaluation of the £3 single bus fare cap and its impacts. This will include analysis of bus usage. The evaluation will focus on understanding the national impacts of the scheme rather than changes at the level of individual local authorities. The final monitoring and evaluation report into the impact of the £2 bus fare cap, including analysis on bus usage, was published on 12 February. Trends in bus usage will continue to be monitored and reported through the Department’s national statistics which are published annually.  The Department also publishes statistics on daily bus passenger journeys across local authorities in England outside London. This can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/developing-faster-indicators-of-transport-activity.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the DVLA’s updated vehicle registration guidance on the UK’s (a) classic and (b) historic vehicle sector.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s new guidance supports historic vehicle keepers and the wider industry with clearer registration processes that reflect modern restoration and modification practices.The feedback from the historic and classic vehicle sector is that the new policies reflect a pragmatic approach and satisfactorily address the major issues raised, alleviating many of the difficulties associated with the previous policies.

How many (a) weekly, (b) monthly, (c) annual bus journeys eligible for the price fare cap were taken in (i) England, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) Fylde between 1 January 2023 and 1 September 2025.

The Department is currently undertaking an evaluation of the £3 single bus fare cap and its impacts. This will include analysis of bus usage. The evaluation will focus on understanding the national impacts of the scheme rather than changes at the level of individual local authorities. The final monitoring and evaluation report into the impact of the £2 bus fare cap, including analysis on bus usage, was published on 12 February. Trends in bus usage will continue to be monitored and reported through the Department’s national statistics which are published annually.  The Department also publishes statistics on daily bus passenger journeys across local authorities in England outside London. This can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/developing-faster-indicators-of-transport-activity.

Communities and Local Government, whether the new homes accelerator will prioritise (a) specific geographical areas and (b) types of housing need.

The New Homes Accelerator (NHA) is a collaboration between the government, Homes England, the Greater London Authority, local authorities, developers, and other key stakeholders. It aims to unblock and accelerate the delivery of housing developments that have for various reasons become delayed, or which are not progressing as quickly as they could be.The NHA is helping to progress large development sites across the country by providing site-specific support and also addressing system-wide constraints. To date, NHA has announced 16 sites for site-specific support, amounting to c.48,600 homes. Through addressing system-wide constraints, the NHA has helped overcome blockages on sites with capacity for c.63,000 homes.The NHA does not have a focus on particular geographical areas, although the programme will keep in mind wider government policy priorities when deciding on which sites will receive targeted support, such as the percentage of affordable housing a site is expected to deliver.The NHA targets support on development sites in England that are over 500 homes, with a particular focus on sites over 1,500 homes that are a) already in the planning system b) can be delivered this parliament and c) are viable without requiring substantial additional government funding or infrastructure investment.In FY25/26, the NHA is providing £2 million of funding to the Building Safety Regulator’s Fast Track Innovation Plan; £1 million of funding to statutory consultees to bolster resources and improve feedback to local authorities and industry where necessary; and £3.01 million of funding to local authorities for site-specific support. Future funding is subject to the outcome of business planning, following the Spending Review.

Communities and Local Government, what the objectives are of the new homes accelerator programme; and how success will be measured against those objectives.

The New Homes Accelerator (NHA) is a collaboration between the government, Homes England, the Greater London Authority, local authorities, developers, and other key stakeholders. It aims to unblock and accelerate the delivery of housing developments that have for various reasons become delayed, or which are not progressing as quickly as they could be.The NHA is helping to progress large development sites across the country by providing site-specific support and also addressing system-wide constraints. To date, NHA has announced 16 sites for site-specific support, amounting to c.48,600 homes. Through addressing system-wide constraints, the NHA has helped overcome blockages on sites with capacity for c.63,000 homes.The NHA does not have a focus on particular geographical areas, although the programme will keep in mind wider government policy priorities when deciding on which sites will receive targeted support, such as the percentage of affordable housing a site is expected to deliver.The NHA targets support on development sites in England that are over 500 homes, with a particular focus on sites over 1,500 homes that are a) already in the planning system b) can be delivered this parliament and c) are viable without requiring substantial additional government funding or infrastructure investment.In FY25/26, the NHA is providing £2 million of funding to the Building Safety Regulator’s Fast Track Innovation Plan; £1 million of funding to statutory consultees to bolster resources and improve feedback to local authorities and industry where necessary; and £3.01 million of funding to local authorities for site-specific support. Future funding is subject to the outcome of business planning, following the Spending Review.

Communities and Local Government, what funding has been allocated to the new homes accelerator during the Spending Review period.

The New Homes Accelerator (NHA) is a collaboration between the government, Homes England, the Greater London Authority, local authorities, developers, and other key stakeholders. It aims to unblock and accelerate the delivery of housing developments that have for various reasons become delayed, or which are not progressing as quickly as they could be.The NHA is helping to progress large development sites across the country by providing site-specific support and also addressing system-wide constraints. To date, NHA has announced 16 sites for site-specific support, amounting to c.48,600 homes. Through addressing system-wide constraints, the NHA has helped overcome blockages on sites with capacity for c.63,000 homes.The NHA does not have a focus on particular geographical areas, although the programme will keep in mind wider government policy priorities when deciding on which sites will receive targeted support, such as the percentage of affordable housing a site is expected to deliver.The NHA targets support on development sites in England that are over 500 homes, with a particular focus on sites over 1,500 homes that are a) already in the planning system b) can be delivered this parliament and c) are viable without requiring substantial additional government funding or infrastructure investment.In FY25/26, the NHA is providing £2 million of funding to the Building Safety Regulator’s Fast Track Innovation Plan; £1 million of funding to statutory consultees to bolster resources and improve feedback to local authorities and industry where necessary; and £3.01 million of funding to local authorities for site-specific support. Future funding is subject to the outcome of business planning, following the Spending Review.