Written questions by Mathew.

What information her Department holds on the number of approved driving instructors there are in Wiltshire.

The table below shows how many car practical driving tests have been booked for test centres serving Wiltshire in 2025.Driving Test CentreTests Booked (Net Demand)Chippenham7,737Salisbury4,432Swindon8,694Trowbridge1,323Total22,186*Trowbridge is a taking the test to the customer site so may not be open every day.Information on the number of approved driving instructors by postcode, including for Wiltshire is available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/driving-instructor-and-motorcycle-instructor-register-data The table below shows the (a) average and (b) longest waiting times for a practical car driving test for test centres serving Wiltshire over the last ten years. Driving Test CentreAverage Waiting time (weeks)Longest Waiting time (weeks)Chippenham12.624Salisbury10.724Swindon13.224Trowbridge14.524*Trowbridge is a taking the test to the customer site so may not be open every day.

What the (a) average and (b) longest waiting times for a practical driving test in Wiltshire were in the last 10 years, by driving test centre.

The table below shows how many car practical driving tests have been booked for test centres serving Wiltshire in 2025.Driving Test CentreTests Booked (Net Demand)Chippenham7,737Salisbury4,432Swindon8,694Trowbridge1,323Total22,186*Trowbridge is a taking the test to the customer site so may not be open every day.Information on the number of approved driving instructors by postcode, including for Wiltshire is available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/driving-instructor-and-motorcycle-instructor-register-data The table below shows the (a) average and (b) longest waiting times for a practical car driving test for test centres serving Wiltshire over the last ten years. Driving Test CentreAverage Waiting time (weeks)Longest Waiting time (weeks)Chippenham12.624Salisbury10.724Swindon13.224Trowbridge14.524*Trowbridge is a taking the test to the customer site so may not be open every day.

How many driving tests have been booked in Wiltshire in 2025.

The table below shows how many car practical driving tests have been booked for test centres serving Wiltshire in 2025.Driving Test CentreTests Booked (Net Demand)Chippenham7,737Salisbury4,432Swindon8,694Trowbridge1,323Total22,186*Trowbridge is a taking the test to the customer site so may not be open every day.Information on the number of approved driving instructors by postcode, including for Wiltshire is available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/driving-instructor-and-motorcycle-instructor-register-data The table below shows the (a) average and (b) longest waiting times for a practical car driving test for test centres serving Wiltshire over the last ten years. Driving Test CentreAverage Waiting time (weeks)Longest Waiting time (weeks)Chippenham12.624Salisbury10.724Swindon13.224Trowbridge14.524*Trowbridge is a taking the test to the customer site so may not be open every day.

What mechanisms are in place at HM Courts and Tribunals Service Probate Registries to ensure that when a later will is lodged and an objection is submitted prior to the granting of probate on an earlier will, the later will is considered before any grant is issued.

HMCTS has an established process in place for when a later will is lodged, which requires HMCTS staff to submit the later Will and earlier Will to a Registrar for their directions on how to proceed.

What steps she is taking to improve rail services in rural areas of the South West.

This government is committed to improving rural rail services in the South-West, and public ownership and the creation of Great British Railways will help to deliver this. We are striving to enhance connectivity and increase service frequency across underserved communities to the benefit of passengers provided it is affordable for the UK taxpayer. Wiltshire local authority is receiving £18.6 million of capital Local Transport Grant and over £1.3million in revenue funding from the Local Transport Grant over this Spending Review period which will help to improve transport in their local area.

What steps her Department is taking to support (a) prison and (b) probation staff.

By the nature of their roles, HMPPS staff can come into contact with some of the most challenging and dangerous people in our society. We want to ensure all staff, whether they are based in prisons or probation, feel proud to work for HMPPS and feel supported to carry out their challenging roles. By the end of September, mandatory Protective Body Armour will be rolled out for use in Close Supervision Centres, Separation Centres, and Segregation Units in the Long-Term High Security Estate. These units hold some of the most dangerous and challenging prisoners.  We are trialling the use of Conductive Energy Devices, known as “tasers”, by specialist staff to assist them in dealing with the most serious incidents in adult male prisons Within prisons, the Enable Programme aims to transform prisons over the medium term, through a series of workforce and regime changes that will change how HMPPS trains, develops, leads and supports prison staff to ensure that they feel safe, supported, valued and confident in their skills and their ability to make a difference. We continue to invest in probation, and plan to onboard 1,300 trainee probation officers by March 2026 in addition to the 1,057 already onboarded last year. We are committed to ensuring that workloads for probation staff are sustainable and ensure protection of the public. That is why we have commissioned the ‘Our Future Probation Service’ Programme to deploy new technologies, reform processes, and ensure prioritisation of probation staff time. Within HMPPS, we provide extensive mental health support, including a 24-hour helpline, confidential counselling, and online wellbeing services. Our Trauma Risk Management practitioners and Care Teams provide further support following any incidents while on duty. The Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) offers confidential 24/7 telephone helpline for counselling and provides a range of wellbeing and health promotion workshops. Critical incident support is available to staff onsite within two hours of the incident taking place. EAP also delivers reflective sessions which are a proactive mental ill health preventative intervention. The sessions focus on the impact of traumatic events at work, helping employees to develop coping strategies and preventing an adverse impact on their professional and private life. A new well-being support model has been established across HMPPS, with staff support and wellbeing leads for both prison and probation. Their role includes promoting and coordinating wellbeing services, reviewing Peer Support Services, and liaising with HR and other key stakeholders.  Area wellbeing plans are in place, concentrating on workplace wellbeing interventions. HMPPS is retendering Occupational Health (OH) and EAP contracts, prompting a full review of staff support services. There is current provision of comprehensive OH and EAP services to proactively and reactively address the impact of work on health.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions her Department has had with the National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team on the (a) prevalence of conditional selling practices by estate agents and (b) the effectiveness of that Agency's enforcement of the Estate Agents Act (1979) in relation to conditional selling.

It is unacceptable for estate agents to withhold offers from sellers because the potential buyer declines to use their additional services. Where there is evidence of such practices, agents can face sanctions including a ban.The government is committed to protecting people from abuse and poor service at the hands of unscrupulous property agents and to improving estate agent standards more generally.The National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team (NTSEAT) is the lead estate agent enforcement authority. Alongside local authority Trading Standards teams, they are responsible for ensuring estate agents comply with the Estate Agents Act 1979 and other relevant legislation. NTSEAT have powers to issue warnings and banning orders against rogue agents. In cases of conditional selling, it is essential that any misconduct or manipulation in the offer process is reported to help build a clearer picture of the problem and support potential investigations.My Department engages regularly with NTSEAT to discuss how best to address specific issues, including conditional selling, and continue to look at options to improve standards across the estate agent sector.

What steps his Department is taking to increase the availability of hearing tests.

We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services, including for audiology services such as hearing tests. Our Elective Reform Plan commits to transforming and expanding diagnostic services and speeding up waiting times for tests.NHS England is supporting provider organisations and integrated care boards, who are the commissioners of audiology services, to improve performance and reduce waiting lists. This includes capital investment to upgrade audiology facilities in NHS trusts, expanding audiology testing capacity via community diagnostic centres, and direct support through a national audiology improvement collaborative.The 2025 Spending Review confirmed over £6 billion of additional capital investment over five years across new diagnostic, elective, and urgent care capacity. Further details and allocations will be set out in due course.

What assessment he has made of trends in the level of HPV vaccine uptake in different local authorities.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine coverage is presented for England at national, National Health Service commissioning region, and local authority levels. HPV vaccine uptake is known to vary by local authority, and assessments of trends by locality are ongoing.Vaccine coverage data for the routine school-aged HPV immunisation programme in England, including for the 2023 to 2024 academic year, is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/vaccine-uptake#hpv-vaccine-uptake

If he will make an assessment of the adequacy of waiting times for specialist gender services for under-18s.

The Government and NHS England are committed to implementing the recommendations of the Cass Review in full. NHS England developed an ambitious two-year action plan which sets out how they will continue to transform and improve gender services, helping to tackle waiting lists, whilst ensuring safe and holistic care. The Government recognises that waiting times for Children and Young People’s gender services are too long, and we are determined to change that. NHS England has opened three children and young people’s gender services in the North-West, London, and Bristol. A fourth service is anticipated to open in the East of England later this year. NHS England is aiming to deliver a gender clinic in each region of England by 2026. This will bring services closer to the homes of those who need them, and will help tackle waiting times.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of including water companies as a statutory consultee in the planning process to advise on (a) the impacts on the water network and (b) how these impacts can be mitigated.

I refer the hon. Members to the answer given to Question UIN 60676 on 23 June 2025.

What steps he is taking to help support homeowners to meet the costs of remedial work caused by foam roof insulation installed using a government grant.

There is no government financial assistance available to have insulation removed. Any measures fitted under government schemes must be fitted to the highest standards with issues promptly and properly rectified. In any instance where insulation is installed improperly under a government-backed scheme, consumers are entitled to remediation by their installer or, failing that, the guarantee at no cost to the consumer. Installations of any insulation under current Government schemes must be installed in accordance with the PAS 2030 and PAS 2035 standards. The TrustMark website contains further guidance on how consumers can complain if things go wrong and the dispute resolution process: https://www.trustmark.org.uk/homeowners/if-things-go-wrong.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of a national register of defibrillators.

The Circuit is the independently operated national automated external defibrillator databased, developed by a partnership of the British Heart Foundation, the National Health Service, the Resuscitation Council UK, and the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives. The Circuit provides a national database of where defibrillators can be found so that ambulance services can quickly identify the nearest defibrillator.There are now over 100,000 defibrillators in the United Kingdom registered on The Circuit. There are no plans to establish a separate national register.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce the backlog of people waiting for tribunals as part of their PIP application process.

The Department understands the potential effect of waiting for a tribunal hearing, which is why our aim is to make the right decision as early as possible in the claim journey so that people can get the support they are entitled to, without the need for an appeal. When a claim reaches the appeal stage, the Department can lapse the appeal where evidence supports a change in decision which is favourable to the customer. Appeals are lodged with, and administered by, HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). A variety of factors can affect the number of cases cleared by the Tribunal including the complexity of the issue in dispute; the availability of panel members assigned to a particular venue; and if an appeal is adjourned (which may be directed by the judge for a variety of reasons, such as to seek further medical evidence). Any increase to the live load is monitored, and investigated, locally.

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department is taking steps with animal protection organisations to phase out animal experimentation.

The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”. The government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year, and is engaging animal welfare organisations in developing this. The Government has also recently hosted a roundtable with representatives from these organisations to discuss the strategy.

What steps she is taking to retrofit schools to help meet net zero targets.

The department is committed to supporting the UK net zero carbon targets. Since 2021, our own building standards have required that all new school buildings we deliver are net zero carbon in operation and are adapted to climate change.The department is also providing support for all schools and colleges to start on their journey towards net zero via our new online ‘Sustainability support for education’ platform and our climate ambassador programme. Where schools are considering options to become more sustainable, including considering decarbonisation of their energy supply, our ‘Get help buying’ service provides support to ensure that schemes procured are of high-quality and value to the sector. More information can be found at: https://gethelpbuyingforschools.campaign.gov.uk/.Capital funding allocated to the school sector each year can also be used for projects that improve the energy efficiency and sustainability of school buildings, as well as improving the condition of the estate to keep schools safe and operational. The department has allocated £2.1 billion in condition funding for the 2025/26 financial year, which is £300 million more than the previous year.In addition, we are working with Great British Energy, as part of their solar programme, and investing a total of £80 million to install solar and other related interventions in 200 schools and colleges in areas of deprivation.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of minimum service standards for cross county bus services.

Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) already often work closely together when tendering routes that cross shared boundaries and in delivering their Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIP). There are also requirements set out in the Transport Act 2000 for LTAs to take account of the effect of an Enhanced Partnership on neighbouring areas and for bus policies on bus services in neighbouring LTA areas to be considered when developing their franchising arrangements. The government has updated its bus franchising guidance to LTAs to make clear that they should consider cross-boundary services during any franchising assessment process, including in the commercial case where they should set out how they intend to facilitate cross-boundary services to deliver relevant BSIP outcomes and targets in both authorities’ areas. The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December which puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders, and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them right across England, including services that cross local authority boundaries. The Bill would give franchising authorities greater scope to grant service permits to operators wishing to provide non-franchised services which enter a franchising area from another area. Franchising authorities will be able to take account of these proposed cross-boundary services’ benefits in all the areas where the service would run, not just the franchising area as before. This will enable franchising authorities to better harness the additionality the market can provide in delivering these important services and take a more holistic approach to cross-boundary bus provision.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of levels of car use on (a) congestion and (b) road noise.

The Department periodically publishes the national road traffic projections. The most recent being the National Road Traffic Projections 2022. This includes a measure of congestion expressed as lost time per mile, per vehicle in seconds. This is split by vehicle type, road type and region. While no specific assessment on levels of car use and road noise has been undertaken, the Government’s methods for the Calculation of Road Traffic Noise (CRTN), however, provides a standardised approach to calculate noise impacts from existing or proposed road networks to assess and manage the noise impacts on nearby communities.

What steps her Department is taking to tackle processing delays of valuations by the Teachers’ Pension Scheme; and what steps she is taking to ensure that pensions are paid promptly once teachers have chosen how they wish to receive their benefits.

The scheme administrator has made significant progress to reduce the backlog of Cash Equivalent Transfer Value (CETV) figures that had built up whilst the necessary guidance was developed, following the Transitional Protection (McCloud) remedy taking effect.CETVs that could be automated have been prioritised, alongside the most sensitive cases, to reduce the backlog from 3,062 at the end of October 2024 to 473 as of 6 May. The current outstanding figure includes recent applications.Addressing the remainder of the backlog remains a key priority for both the department and the scheme administrator. The scheme administrator is now working through the more complex cases for members who have not retired and who have scheme flexibilities, to take account of those which must be processed clerically as a result. Guidance to provide CETV calculations for members who have retired has recently been received and is being assessed by the scheme administrator.Where members affected by Transitional Protection apply to retire, they are provided a Remediable Service Statement (RSS) which details their choices available for the remedy period. Once the member choice is completed and returned by the member, the scheme administrator will process the member’s retirement and put benefits into payment as soon as is practicable, or in line with the relevant retirement date.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact unrepaired potholes on (a) cyclists and (b) pedestrians.

The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to enabling local highway authorities to maintain and renew their local highway networks effectively. The Department’s highway maintenance funding is to enable local highway authorities to look after all parts of their highway networks, including cycle lanes and footways. It is up to individual local highway authorities to assess the impacts of their highway maintenance programmes on all road users, and to satisfy themselves that they are complying with their responsibilities under the Highways Act 1980. Local highway authorities should consider the needs of all road users, especially vulnerable groups such as cyclists and pedestrians, when planning their highway maintenance programmes. Potholes, and poorly maintained pavements, have particular impacts on cyclists and pedestrians. The consequences of hitting a pothole can be far worse for a cyclist than for a driver, for example, and poorly maintained pavements can result in trips and falls as well as putting some people off walking altogether.