Written questions by Stephenson.

What guidance her Department has issued to local authorities on prioritising a) reactive and b) proactive road maintenance interventions.

Local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highways network in their area. The Act does not set out specific standards of maintenance, as it is for each individual local highway authority to assess which parts of its network need repair and what standards should be applied, based upon their local knowledge and circumstances. There are occasions where potholes need to be repaired quickly for safety reasons, but the Department encourages local authorities to also focus on long-term preventative maintenance to ensure that roads are fixed properly and potholes prevented from forming in the first place. This is also more cost-effective than the repeated and reactive patching of potholes. This year, the Government made available an additional £500 million for local highway authorities to maintain their highway network. A portion of the additional funding is contingent upon local highway authorities complying with criteria aimed at driving best practice and continual improvement in highways maintenance. This includes local highway authorities having to demonstrate to Government how much they are spending on highways maintenance, including the balance of spend between preventative and reactive maintenance. In this context, the department has written to all local highway authorities to emphasise that when determining the balance between preventative and reactive maintenance, authorities should adopt the principle that prevention is better than cure, as also set out in the Code of Practice for well-managed highway infrastructure, available online, at: https://www.ciht.org.uk/ukrlg-home/code-of-practice/

How many visas a) his Department, b) the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency, c) the UK Health Security Agency, d) the Care Quality Commission, e) the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, f) the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, g) NHS Blood and Transplant, h) NHS Business Services Authority and i) NHS Resolution have sponsored since 4 July 2024.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 11 December 2025 to Question 96902.

Whether he has made an (a) estimate of the age of inheritance for the next five decades and (b) assessment of the potential impact of increased longevity on the adequacy of assets held at state pension age for comfortable retirement.

The Department for Work and Pensions has published analysis on the number and proportion of working age individuals who are undersaving for retirement. This analysis is published here: Analysis of Future Pension Incomes 2025 - GOV.UK This analysis looks at Target Replacement Rates, the percentage of pre-retirement earnings an individual would need to replace to meet an adequate income in retirement, and also at expenditure-based measures of income adequacy in retirement. This analysis includes estimates of longevity as part of assessing the level of savings needed to achieve the various levels of income. No specific assessment has been made of the age of inheritance. The Government has also revived the Pensions Commission, with a broad and comprehensive remit to consider the long-term future of our pension system, to ensure it delivers financial security in retirement through a framework that is strong, fair and sustainable. This includes exploring the long-term questions of adequacy and how to improve retirement outcomes for future generations of retirees.

If she will make an estimate of the a) number and b) proportion of dependent visa holders who are employed.

An estimate of the number and proportion of dependant visa holders who are employed is not available, as not all the required information is held. HMRC and Home Office have introduced a data sharing process to match visa data to administrative tax data. The Home Office published a research report on 12 May 2025 on the earnings, employment, and Income Tax liabilities of visa holders on Sponsored Work (Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, and Senior or Specialist Worker (Global Business Mobility)) and Family routes. This report covers the cohort of visa holders (and their dependants) whose visas were granted between April 2019 and March 2023 The publication estimated that at least 45% of adult dependants of those granted Skilled Worker entry clearance visas and 63% of those granted Skilled Worker extensions of stay had PAYE earnings in financial year 2023 to 2024. For Health and Care Worker dependants, this was 67% and 70%, and for Global Business Mobility dependants, 25% and 24%, respectively.

Pursuant to the answer of 3 October 2025 to written question 74972, if she will list the eleven schools in Bedfordshire.

The department has published details of successful projects and applicants to the Condition Improvement Fund for the 2025/26 financial year, including the local authority and constituency. This list can be found on GOV.UK here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/condition-improvement-fund-2025-to-2026-outcome.

Pursuant to the answer of 15 October 2025 to written question 79794, if he will make an estimate of the proportion of residents in Mid Bedfordshire constituency who live within one mile of a post office.

Post Office’s performance against the Government’s Access Criteria is assessed at a national level rather than by individual constituencies. Information on how the Post Office measures network performance against these criteria is published annually in its Network Report, which is available on the Post Office’s website.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing planning protections for high-functioning soils by designating them as Soil Conservation Zones.

The Government has no plans to assess or introduce new planning-based protected designations for high functioning soils. However, the Government recognises the importance of improving and protecting soil health, through sustainable and responsibly managed soil practices. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) states that the planning system should protect and enhance soils and ensure new development does not lead to unacceptable levels of soil pollution. It also requires planning authorities to safeguard ‘best and most versatile land’ (BMV) agricultural land. Surveys under the Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) system are required to be carried out on agricultural land, so that planners can determine whether a site contains BMV land before making planning decisions. Other soil functions are also protected or managed through various existing mechanisms within the planning system, including those relating to flood risk, pollution and contaminated land, biodiversity, landscape and cultural heritage.

How much the NHS has spent on agency staff by employment type in each of the last five years.

Temporary staffing allows the National Health Service to meet workforce demand fluctuations without the need to increase capacity above that which is required on a sustained basis. NHS England publishes the total agency spend for providers on a quarterly basis. This includes all employment types, as NHS England does not hold a split of spend by employment types. The latest data is available up to September 2025 which can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publications/financial-performance-reports/In addition, the following table shows total agency spend each year for the last five yearsQuarter 2 2025/26 (3 months July 25 to September 25)£674 millionQuarter 1 2025/26 (3 months April 25 to June 25)£360 millionQuarter 4 2024/25 (12 months April 24 to March 25)£2,074 millionQuarter 4 2023/24 (12 months April 23 to March 24)£3,024 millionQuarter 4 2022/23 (12 months April 22 to March 23)£3,463 millionQuarter 4 2021/22 (12 months April 21 to March 22)£2,960 millionQuarter 4 2020/21 (12 months April 20 to March 21)£2,436 million

Whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of safeguards in AI when dealing with mental health based queries.

The Department recognises the importance of safeguards when using artificial intelligence (AI) for mental health queries. The United Kingdom has a world-leading regulatory system, and the National Health Service operates within a comprehensive regulatory framework for AI, underpinned by rigorous standards established by bodies including the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the Health Research Authority, and the Care Quality Commission. These agencies ensure that AI technologies are safe, effective, and ethically deployed within healthcare settings.Publicly available AI applications that are not deployed by the NHS, such as ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini, are not regulated as medical technologies and may offer incorrect or harmful information. Users are strongly advised to be careful when using these technologies. The Department recommends that individuals seek advice from the NHS website, which provides clinically approved guidance on mental health-based queries, or that they reach out to healthcare professionals.The Department continues to work with NHS England and regulators to strengthen oversight and ensure AI in health and care is safe, effective, and accountable.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press release Families to save hundreds of pounds in major homebuying overhaul, published on 5 October 2025, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of that policy on the number of houses available for sale.

On 6 October, my Department published two consultations outlining reform proposals to transform home buying and selling. They can be found on gov.uk here and here. Final policy decisions as well as a refined analysis of the impact of the proposals in question are subject to a review of the information received through the consultation process.

Whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of the performance of Thameslink in the context of its nationalisation.

We recognise that performance on Thameslink services has not consistently met the levels that passengers expect and deserve over recent years, though we are seeing improvements. As part of the mobilisation process for transferring Govia Thameslink Railway’s services, including Thameslink services, into public ownership on 31 May 2026, the Department is conducting detailed due diligence on current operations. This, alongside the operator’s own plans to drive improvements, will inform measures to enhance services following transfer.

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.

Pursuant to the answer of 24 October 2025 to Written Question 75761, what criteria he uses to determine cost-effectiveness.

The criteria used to determine the cost-effectiveness of offering services in the NHS App is yet to be finalised, as scoping is at an early stage and will take place alongside the business planning process for the Spending Review period.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to the press release entitled People across UK to benefit from easier access to local services as councils get digital boost, published on 22 November 2025, what proportion of GDS Local’s work will be with County and District Councils in a) 2025-26, b) 2026-27 and c) 2027-28.

GDS Local is a new unit within the Government Digital Service that brings central and local government together to improve how digital public services are designed and delivered.GDS Local has a mandate to support all councils and local authorities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, including County and District Councils. It is currently developing its strategic objectives and delivery plans to ensure people across the UK benefit from easier access to local services, including supporting the ambitions in the Blueprint for Modern Digital Government.At this time, no specific proportion of work has been allocated to County and District Councils for future financial years, as the unit intends to take a whole-system approach to supporting local government across the UK. This includes working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Local Government Association to support County and District Councils going through Local Government Reorganisation.

How many a) Government Departments and b) arms length bodies are registered to sponsor visas.

The Cabinet Office does not hold any data on public sector entities that are licensed to sponsor visas. A precise list of organisations licensed to sponsor workers on the Worker and Temporary Worker immigration routes can be found by searching the government’s register of licensed sponsors on gov.uk.

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.

How many visa-sponsoring organisations are B-rated; and how many visas those organisations sponsored as of October 2025.

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.

What recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of capacity on the East Coast Mainline in the context of the Tempsford New Town.

The Government has committed to bring forward the delivery of a new station at Tempsford to introduce services on the East Coast Main line (ECML) to the area as part of the East West Rail (EWR) project and ahead of the full EWR scheme opening. Network Rail will consider the impact of any new station at Tempsford as part of business case development for any future ECML infrastructure investment, including journey time and capacity implications for ECML services.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of service times at HM Land Registry.

Improving speed of service remains a top priority for HM Land Registry (HMLR). Plans to achieve this are set out in the Agency’s Strategy 2025+ which was published on 5 November 2025 and can be found on gov.uk here. As its sponsor department, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government holds HMLR to account for its performance and operational delivery and is in regular communication with HMLR about their processing times. HMLR has been making improvements in this area through hiring and training more staff and by improving the efficiency of the services its customers use. The introduction of new pre-submission validation checks will speed up processes and reduce staff time spent on dealing with errors or mistakes. The age of outstanding post-completion applications is now under 12 months across all service lines, from a peak of 20 months in February 2023. HMLR processing times are publicly available on gov.uk here. Anyone who is concerned that a delay to their application may cause financial, legal, or personal problems or put a property sale at risk, can apply to have their application expedited free of charge. HMLR processes nearly 1,400 expedited applications every day, with more than 95% actioned within 10 working days.

Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to implement Recommendation 44 of the New Towns Taskforce report to Government.

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.