Written questions by Reed.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential risk of wildfires in summer 2026.

Awaiting answer.

What the (a) average and (b) maximum time is between a Section 38 agreement being signed and formal road adoption by Devon County Council in Exmouth and Exeter East constituency.

Awaiting answer.

What is the (a) average and (b) maximum time between a Section 38 agreement being signed and formal road adoption by highway authorities in each of the last five years.

Awaiting answer.

What duty exists between developers and highway authorities to ensure roads on new residential developments that are subject to a Section 38 agreement are gritted and made safe during the winter weather before formal adoption takes place.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what data her Department holds on the number of roads currently blocked from adoption under Section 38 solely because the underlying sewer or drainage infrastructure has not been adopted by a water company.

Awaiting answer.

How many times has a Section 38 highway bond proved insufficient to cover the costs of bringing an unadopted road up to an adoptable standard following the insolvency of the developer in each of the last five years.

Awaiting answer.

What meetings did his department hold with trade unions regarding the setting of the threshold for trade union access to SMEs.

Awaiting answer.

What consideration his Department made of the evidence submitted to the consultation regarding the setting of the threshold for trade union access to SMEs.

Awaiting answer.

What discussions were had with business and industry groups regarding the threshold for trade union access to SMEs.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, when he expects to publish the results of the consultation on local government reorganisation in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay which ended on 26th March 2026.

The Government anticipates an announcement before the summer recess on which, if any, proposal for unitary local government will be implemented in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay. A summary of the consultation will be published at the time of the announcement. A range of views were expressed to the Department as proposals were developed, and local residents and groups have now been able to have their say through the consultation. The Government provided £7.6million last year for councils in England with two-tier local government to develop proposals for unitary local government. This helped councils meet the cost of proposal development, including consultation and engagement with their local communities. All five proposals for local government in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay were consulted on via the recent statutory consultation.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the costs of conducting the consultation on local government re-organisation in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay.

The Government anticipates an announcement before the summer recess on which, if any, proposal for unitary local government will be implemented in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay. A summary of the consultation will be published at the time of the announcement. A range of views were expressed to the Department as proposals were developed, and local residents and groups have now been able to have their say through the consultation. The Government provided £7.6million last year for councils in England with two-tier local government to develop proposals for unitary local government. This helped councils meet the cost of proposal development, including consultation and engagement with their local communities. All five proposals for local government in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay were consulted on via the recent statutory consultation.

Communities and Local Government, whether he a) intends to require Cornwall, Devon, Torbay and Plymouth separately or together, to be part of a combined directly elected mayoral authority to access the full range of devolved powers b) has set a deadline for implementing this policy and c) has made an estimate of the costs of this additional layer of government.

We want to see all of England access devolved powers as soon as possible by establishing Strategic Authorities that can make the key decisions to drive economic growth and celebrate local identities. We are continuing to engage in conversations with local authorities in Cornwall, Devon, Torbay and Plymouth, to take the next step in unlocking the powers and functions available through the Devolution Framework for these areas, at a pace and configuration to be agreed with local leaders.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the costs of implementing the re-organisation of local government in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay for each local authority and what funding will his department make available to meet them.

As part of the local government reorganisation process, councils were required to set out assessments of implementation and transition costs within their proposals. It is expected that councils will be able to meet these costs over time from existing budgets, including from the flexible use of capital receipts that can support authorities in taking forward transformation and invest-to-save projects. Alongside this, the Government has announced up to £63 million in capacity funding to support councils going through local government reorganisation. At least £900,000 will be provided for each new unitary council to help with transition and set‑up costs. The consultation for Devon, Plymouth and Torbay closed on the 26 March. The Secretary of State will now assess the proposals against the criteria, the consultation responses, and all other relevant information before deciding which, if any, proposal to implement.

Communities and Local Government, what is the number of individual correspondence his department received from a) members of the public, b) voluntary groups and c) business representative organisations in favour of the re-organisation of local government in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay prior to the recent consultation.

The Government anticipates an announcement before the summer recess on which, if any, proposal for unitary local government will be implemented in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay. A summary of the consultation will be published at the time of the announcement. A range of views were expressed to the Department as proposals were developed, and local residents and groups have now been able to have their say through the consultation. The Government provided £7.6million last year for councils in England with two-tier local government to develop proposals for unitary local government. This helped councils meet the cost of proposal development, including consultation and engagement with their local communities. All five proposals for local government in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay were consulted on via the recent statutory consultation.

How many sanctioned shadow fleet vessels have transited UK waters since 25 March 2026.

I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave on 20 April 2026, to Question 125435.

What the legal basis is for allowing UK forces to interdict sanctioned shadow fleet vessels transiting UK territorial waters; and whether that legal basis has been confirmed in writing by the Attorney General.

UK forces operate in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and domestic law.

What evidential threshold must be met before a sanctioned shadow fleet vessel may be boarded in UK territorial waters.

We keep maritime activity in UK territorial waters under constant review. We will not provide a running commentary or get into details of our decision-making process as this could compromise our ability to successfully take action against sanctioned ships, only benefitting our adversaries.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of Plan 2 student loan repayments on pension auto-enrolment contribution adequacy for borrowers earning between (a) £27,295 and £50,270, (b) £50,270 and £60,000 and (c) £60,000 and £80,000; and whether his Department has modelled the impact of reduced pension contributions during years in which student loan repayments are also being made on long-term retirement savings.

Workplace pension participation remains high among all eligible age groups, with 82% of all employees participating in workplace pensions in 2024. The Government remains committed to building on the success of automatic enrolment to ensure that people are saving enough for retirement. That is why we have revived the Pensions Commission which will look at the adequacy, fairness and sustainability of the pensions system for future cohorts of retirees.

A) what is the current RAB charge for Plan 2 loans, and b) how has this changed year-on-year since 2019.

The current Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB) charge for Plan 2 loans in England is 32.2%. The RAB charge for Plan 2 loans has changed as follows since 2019:RAB charges (Financial Year)Plan 22019/2053.0%2020/2154.0%2021/2245.0%2022/2328.5%2023/2429.8%2024/2532.2%Many factors can influence the RAB charge, including modelling methodology, economic determinants and policy decisions. The last cohort of Plan 2 loan borrowers took their first loans in the 2022/23 academic year, the latest RAB charge covers outlay for borrowers still receiving Plan 2 loans in the 2024/25 financial year.

What estimate her Department has made of the proportion of Plan 2 borrowers graduating between 2016 and 2023 whose total lifetime student loan repayments, including interest, are projected to exceed the net present value of the graduate earnings premium attributable to their degree.

The department does not hold estimates of lifetime repayment costs for Plan 2 borrowers by earnings bands.The Autumn Budget included freezes to Plan 2 repayment and interest thresholds for at their 2026/27 financial year level until April 2030, when they will increase annually by inflation.The following analysis of the impact of freezing the repayment and interest thresholds to aid the decision:Average Lifetime repayments (2024/25 financial year prices)BaselinePolicyImpact£%Entire cohort£27,000£28,300£1,3005%AverageLifetime graduate earnings decile1£2,000£2,000£00%2£4,300£4,700£4009%3£7,700£8,100£4005%4£11,600£13,000£1,40012%5£16,900£18,500£1,6009%6£23,100£25,200£2,1009%7£31,300£33,600£2,3007%8£41,200£43,500£2,3006%9£54,500£56,100£1,6003%10£59,100£59,500£4001%We also do not hold the proportion of borrowers projected to repay of their student loan than the graduate earnings premium attributable to their degree.