Written questions by Stephenson.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of updating planning validation checklists to require Soil Impact Assessments for major housing developments.

The government is currently consulting on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), including policies designed to encourage a more consistent and proportionate approach to local information requirements (local validation lists). The consultation can be found on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026

If he will impose a duty on the National Energy System Operator to inform hon. Members of connection applications in their constituencies.

Network connection applications are confidential to the parties involved before the point of a contract being signed, but details of generation and storage transmission connection agreements are published in the Transmission Entry Capacity Register TEC Register | National Energy System Operator. The equivalent for Interconnector projects is at Interconnector Register | National Energy System Operator.

Whether stations on the Marston Vale Line will have step free access and boarding when EWR services between Oxford and Bedford begin.

All new and fully refurbished stations delivered as part of East West Rail will be designed to meet modern accessibility standards including step free access and new trains commissioned as part of the East West Rail project will offer step-free boarding. An update on timing for the delivery of infrastructure and services for East West Rail will be provided in due course.

When she plans to publish the Road Safety Strategy.

On 7 January 2026, we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. The Strategy sets an ambitious target to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on British roads by 65% by 2035. This target will focus the efforts of road safety partners across Britain, with measures to protect vulnerable road users, update vehicle safety technologies and review motoring offences. All of this will be supported and monitored by a new Road Safety Board chaired by the Minister for Local Transport.Road safety is a shared responsibility, and this strategy reflects that. It considers action needed by government, local authorities, industry, emergency services and communities to tackle the causes of collisions and save lives. By investing in infrastructure, education, and enforcement, we are taking decisive steps to make our roads safer for everyone.

What proportion of organisations on the register of licensed sponsors have sponsored visas a) in the last 10 years and b) since 4 July 2024.

The Home Office publishes data on Visa Sponsors that are B rated in the ‘Register of licensed sponsors: workers - GOV.UK’.Please note - published data shows the number of licensed sponsors over time but does not include the number of visas associated with each organisation. The Home Office publishes data on the number of visas sponsored by organisations over the past 10 years, as well as data since 4 July 2024, in the ‘Migration transparency data - GOV.UK’.Data on the number of visas sponsored by licensed organisations is published in table SP_01 of the ‘Sponsorship transparency data: July to September 2025’. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data is from 2014 Q1 up to the end of 2025 Q3.

Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities will have lower funding from Government grants in 2028-29 than 2024-25.

We are investing in local government. The Spending Review 2025 provides over £5 billion of new grant funding over the next three years, which includes £3.4 billion of new grant funding delivered through the Local Government Finance Settlement for 2026-27 to 2028-29. Core Spending Power is the government’s measure of the resources available to local authorities to fund service delivery through the Local Government Finance Settlement. By 2028-29, we will have made available a 23.6% increase in Core Spending Power compared to 2024-25, worth over £16 billion. The vast majority of upper-tier councils will see their Core Spending Power increase in real terms over the next three-years. Detailed local authority allocations were published through the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement 2026-2027 to 2028-2029 and are being consulted on until 14 January 2026.

Communities and Local Government, whether local authorities will receive powers to set planning fees locally for the 2026/27 financial year.

The Planning and Infrastructure Act provides the Secretary of State with the power to delegate the setting of planning fees to local planning authorities. The process for local fee setting will be set out in regulations this year. We will shortly also be consulting on a national default fee, which will be the baseline from which local planning authorities can vary and set their own fees.

With reference to the press release entitled Record numbers of visa sponsor licences revoked for rule breaking, published on 11 September 2025, how many of those license revocations resulted in visa holders leaving the UK.

The Home Office does not publish data linking visa holder returns to licence revocations. However, general returns data is available and has been referenced instead.The Home Office publishes returns data from the UK in the ‘Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK’.Returns data from the UK can be found in table RET_D01 of the ‘Returns detailed datasets, year ending September 2025’.Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data is from 2024 Q1 to 2025 Q3.The Home Office publishes data on Visa Sponsors that are subject to suspension and revocation action in the ‘Migration transparency data - GOV.UK’.Data on suspension and revocations for Visa Sponsors are published in table SC_01 of the ‘Sponsorship transparency data: July to September 2025’Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data is from 2012 Q1 up to 2025 Q3.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to recommendation 34 of the document entitled New Towns Taskforce: Report to Government, whether his Department is considering bringing forward future waves of new towns.

I refer the hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of new technologies on the need for animal testing.

The Government’s strategy to support replacing animals in science covers an assessment of the potential impact of new technologies and sets out our long-term vision for a world where the use of animals in science is eliminated in all but exceptional circumstances, achieved by creating a research and innovation system that drives the development and validation of alternative methods and technologies to using animals in science. We will publish biennially a list of alternative-methods research and development priorities, coalescing UK scientists around these areas and incentivising partnerships between research organisations, CROs and industry.

If she will make a comparative assessment of trends in the level of delay and cancellations by rail companies nationalised in 2025 a) before and b) after nationalisation.

Public ownership is not a silver bullet, but it is a vital step towards rebuilding trust and pride in our railways. Due to seasonal variations and the impact of things like service level changes and introduction of new rolling stock, it will take time for the impact of public ownership to be fully reflected in performance trend data. The Department expects all operators, both public and private, to deliver good performance for passengers. However, recent data published by the Office of Rail and Road shows that overall reliability is higher for operators currently in public ownership than for private sector operators contracted by the Department. Data on rail performance and other industry statistics is available on the Office of Rail and Road data portal: https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/.

How many primary schools do not have a library.

I refer the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire to the answer of 22 October 2025 to Question ​​81502​.​

If she will make an estimate of the average number of dependent visas sponsored by Minister of Religion visa holders.

The Home Office publishes data on dependants sponsored by holders of Minister of Religion visas in the ‘Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK’.Data on dependants sponsored by holders of Minister of Religion visas is published in table Data_Vis_D02 of the ‘Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes detailed datasets, year ending September 2025’.

How many civil penalties have been issued to employers sponsoring workers under work‑related visa routes since 4 July 2024 by a) visa route and b) sector.

Information on illegal working civil penalty statistics has been published since 2016 as part of the Home Office Immigration Transparency Data. This can be found at immigration-enforcement-data-jul-sep-2025 on tab CP02.To identify specific employers sponsoring workers under work‑related visa routes would require collating and verifying individual data from different records, which could only be achieved at disproportionate cost.

How many cases of (a) suspected and (b) confirmed exploitation involving holders of work‑related visas have been recorded since 4 July 2024 by (i) visa route and (ii) month.

The Home Office publishes data on Visa Sponsors that are B rated in the ‘Register of licensed sponsors: workers - GOV.UK’.Please note - published data shows the number of licensed sponsors over time but does not include the number of visas associated with each organisation. The Home Office publishes data on the number of visas sponsored by organisations over the past 10 years, as well as data since 4 July 2024, in the ‘Migration transparency data - GOV.UK’.Data on the number of visas sponsored by licensed organisations is published in table SP_01 of the ‘Sponsorship transparency data: July to September 2025’. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data is from 2014 Q1 up to the end of 2025 Q3.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of introducing (a) vouchers and (b) tax rebates to parents who send children to independent schools of a value less than the cost to the public purse per year of putting a pupil through a state school on (i) the cost to the public purse, (ii) class sizes in state schools, (iii) the wellbeing of state school pupils subject to bullying and (d) pupils with SEND.

The department does not hold this information. Decisions on private school fees are for private schools to make as private businesses. Matters of taxation are for HMRC.

If she will make an estimate of the annual impact of one child attending an independent school on the public purse.

The department does not hold this information. Decisions on private school fees are for private schools to make as private businesses. Matters of taxation are for HMRC.

Whether she has made an estimate of the cost to the public purse of re-introducing maintenance grants.

Targeted, means-tested maintenance grants will be funded by a new International Student Levy, with both being introduced in the 2028/29 academic year. The International Student Levy will require higher education providers to pay a flat fee of £925 per international student per year, with proceeds being fully reinvested into higher education and skills. This will make sure that revenue from international students directly benefits domestic students from low-income households.

How many immigrants found to have been working illegally since 2020 have been making National Insurance payments.

The Home Office does not hold the data you have requested.The Home Office takes the issue of illegal working seriously and continues to take robust enforcement action against those who breach immigration laws.

Communities and Local Government, if he will set out the timeline for establishing a Mayoral Strategic Authority in Bedfordshire.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 97367 on 11 December 2025. Decisions on future devolution areas beyond those in the Devolution Priority Programme, including Bedfordshire, have not yet been taken, but the Department will continue to engage with local authorities about possible future devolution agreements. All future funding decisions, including the 30-year investment fund, will form part of conversations with local areas. The government is committed to ensuring that all new Strategic Authorities are built on strong foundations and set up to succeed.