Written questions by Leadbitter.

Whether he has had discussions with his European counterparts on improving visa-free travel arrangements to Europe for British citizens.

The UK and the EU allow for visa-free short-term travel in line with their respective arrangements for third country nationals. The UK allows EU citizens short-term visa-free travel for up to six months. Meanwhile, the EU allows for travel within the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period; this is standard for third countries travelling visa-free to the EU. UK nationals planning to stay longer will need permission from the relevant Member State. This may require a visa and/or permit.The UK Government will continue to listen to and advocate for UK nationals.

If she will take steps to engage with Distribution Network Operators on (a) grid connections and (b) the standardisation of electric vehicle charging.

The Department for Transport engages regularly with Distribution Network Operators, and with National Grid, on work related to accelerating the delivery of electric vehicle (EV) charging. This includes discussions on power capacity, grid infrastructure, and standardisation required to meet growing demand for EV charging.In December 2024, the Government published the outcome of a review on improving the grid connection process for electric vehicle charging infrastructure. In March, I met with Distribution Network Operators and other industry groups to understand industry’s perspective on improving EV charging on the Strategic Road Network (England’s motorways and major A roads).

What steps she is taking to engage with (a) devolved governments, (b) local authorities and (c) regional transport partnerships to share best practice on electric vehicle charging strategies and implementation.

The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles engages regularly with devolved governments, local authorities and regional transport partnerships on a range of issues related to improving electric vehicle charging. This includes work through the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund which is supporting local authorities to scale up local EV charging provision across England. Support includes £381m of funding, one-to-one guidance, regional workshops and an online knowledge repository to share practice. This is in addition to a dedicated electric vehicle training course, completed by over 150 local authority officers to date.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including renewable electricity in the Renewal Transport Fuel Obligation.

The Department for Transport continues to review all policy options that may support the continued rollout of public electric vehicle chargepoints. This includes reviewing the potential for inclusion of electricity in the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation.

Whether she has had discussions with her European counterparts on improving visa-free travel arrangements to Europe for British citizens.

The Home Office is not responsible for those arrangements.

Whether he is taking steps to update regulations on the (a) composition, (b) marketing and (c) labelling of commercial infant foods.

Children’s early years provide an important foundation for their future health and strongly influences many aspects of well-being in later life.It is vital that we maintain the highest standards for foods consumed by babies and infants, which is why we have regulations in place that set nutritional and compositional standards for commercial baby food. The regulations also set labelling standards to ensure consumers have clear and accurate information about the products they buy. We continue to keep these regulations, which apply in England, under review to ensure they reflect the latest scientific and dietary guidelines. Similar legislation exists in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to ensure that people in rural areas have equal access to broadband services.

Project Gigabit is the government’s programme to roll out fast, reliable broadband to UK premises that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans. Over 35 contracts, with a combined value of over £2.3 billion, have already been signed to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to over 1 million premises, predominantly in rural areas.Last week we announced a £157 million contract with Openreach to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to up to 65,000 rural and hard-to-reach premises across Central, Northern and Western Scotland, including in the Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey constituency.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to improve the availability of cellular networks in rural areas.

The government wants all areas of the UK to benefit from reliable, high quality mobile coverage. We continue to work with Ofcom to ensure that their coverage reporting is as accurate as possible to allow us to reliably and accurately identify underserved areas.4G geographic coverage from at least one mobile operator has now reached over 95% of the UK landmass, and we continue to work with the industry to deliver 4G mobile connectivity to places where there is either limited or no coverage.Our ambition is to go further, and for all populated areas, including rural communities, to have access to higher-quality standalone 5G by 2030. We continue to work closely with the mobile network operators and are committed to ensuring we have the right policy and regulatory framework in place to support investment and competition in the market.

Food and Rural Affairs, what disposal schemes exist for banned pesticides.

For all pesticides, there are legal requirements to store the product securely and dispose safely of any surplus. It is illegal to use or store any plant protection product (pesticide) that is no longer authorised. Professional users in possession of unauthorised plant protection products should contact an authorised business to dispose of them. While there are currently no specific government schemes for the disposal of banned pesticides, guidance for businesses needing to dispose of hazardous waste such as pesticides can be found on gov.uk. Amateur users should contact their local Civic Amenity site and ask them for guidance on disposal.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Making Tax Digital; and what steps she is taking to improve customer service for businesses.

HMRC’s published evaluation of Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT, introduced in 2019, shows that MTD is effective with additional tax revenue raised in line with HMRC’s original forecast. MTD reduces error and provides wider benefits, including time saved, increased tax confidence, greater accuracy and improved business operations. The Government expects that businesses and landlords using MTD for Income Tax from April 2026 will experience similar benefits. HMRC’s move towards being a digital first tax administration system supports the commitment to better customer service. Improved online digital services will handle routine functions and enquiries, supported by accessible online content such as recorded webinars and YouTube videos. This will free up phone lines to support customers with more complex queries.

If she will publish the carbon assessment for the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate.

The ZEV Mandate remains the Government’s largest single carbon saving measure. The carbon impacts of the ZEV mandate were summarised within the cost benefit analysis published alongside the original legislation. On 7 April 2025, the Government announced policy changes to the ZEV Mandate to further support the UK’s automotive industry. The policy changes are expected to have a minor carbon impact when compared to the savings delivered by the ZEV Mandate as a whole. We estimate a 1% decrease (-4.2 Mt CO2) in CO2 savings from the original ZEV mandate (420 Mt CO2) across 2024 to 2050. A breakdown of this carbon analysis has been published alongside the government response.

What discussions he has had with (a) OFGEM and (b) energy companies on VAT inclusion in (i) energy billing documents and (ii) online quotes for consumers.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I have regular meetings with Ofgem on a range of issues. Quotes on energy pricing and how those quotes are broken down for customers are a matter for energy suppliers. However, the Government takes the issue of accurate billing very seriously. All suppliers must take all reasonable steps to reflect accurate meter readings in bills or statements sent to customers where these have been provided by a customer or obtained by the supplier. This is laid out in the Supplier Licence Conditions (SLCs) for both electricity and gas. Under 31E.10 of both sets of SLCs where the licensee provides a Domestic Customer with any information about the Charges for the Supply of Electricity, gas or any other type of charge or fee (the “Applicable Charges”), the licensee must inform the Domestic Customer of whether the Applicable Charges include or exclude value added tax.

How many meetings (a) she, (b) the Minister for Future of Roads and (c) her officials have had with (i) hon. Members and (ii) trade associations that contributed to the Government's review on Volumetric concrete mixers prior to announcing the findings of that review.

My Department engaged with hon. Members and industry stakeholders through correspondence prior to the announcement. In addition, industry and interested parties were given the opportunity to present views and evidence on this topic as part of the Call for Evidence between October and December 2023. Temporary exemptions to weight limits for VCMs will expire in 2028. This policy is being maintained.

Whether she considered making an environmental impact assessment on the decision to ban volumetric concrete mobile plants in 2028.

As part of its consideration of the evidence, the Department for Transport has assessed the potential environmental impacts in accordance with the Environment Act 2021 which requires Ministers of the Crown to have ‘due regard’ to the environmental principles policy statement when making policy. Current exemptions to weight limits for VCMs will expire in 2028. This policy is being maintained.

Whether she held discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade prior to announcing changes to volumetric concrete mobile operating weights from 2028.

The Secretary of State for Transport did not raise this with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade. However, cross-Whitehall engagement did occur prior to the announcement. This is not a change to the policy on weights for VCMs but a decision to continue with the existing policy that a temporary exemption will come to an end in 2028.

What estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to weights for volumetric concrete mobile plants on lorry miles on concrete deliveries.

A call for evidence ran from October to December 2023 seeking views on three potential options on weight limits for Volumetric Concrete Mixers (VCMs). The following factors were considered: reduction in payload per journey, increased waste, and increased vehicle mileage. Information received did not provide any compelling evidence for permitting a weight limit exemption specifically for VCMs on the grounds of increased lorry journeys.The outcome of the Department’s review into volumetric concrete mixers was published on 18 March. This can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/volumetric-concrete-mixers-review. Current exemptions to weight limits for VCMs will expire in 2028.

What estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to weights for volumetric concrete mobile plants on CO2 emissions from lorry making concrete deliveries.

The Department ran a call for evidence from October to December 2023 seeking views on three potential options on weight limits for Volumetric Concrete Mixers (VCMs). The outcome of my Department’s review into volumetric concrete mixers was published on 18 March. This can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/volumetric-concrete-mixers-reviewWhilst some VCM operators have argued that heavier VCMs could reduce overall trips and emissions, the increased road and bridge damage would result in more frequent repairs, offsetting these potential benefits.VCMs will continue to be permitted on our roads, but as planned, a temporary weight limit exemption for this type of vehicle will end on 31 March 2028. This is not a ban or change in policy.

What estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to weights for volumetric concrete mobile plants on annual lorry journeys for concrete deliveries.

A call for evidence ran from October to December 2023 seeking views on three potential options on weight limits for Volumetric Concrete Mixers (VCMs). The following factors were considered: reduction in payload per journey, increased waste, and increased vehicle mileage. Information received did not provide any compelling evidence for permitting a weight limit exemption specifically for VCMs on the grounds of increased lorry journeys.The outcome of the Department’s review into volumetric concrete mixers was published on 18 March. This can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/volumetric-concrete-mixers-review. Current exemptions to weight limits for VCMs will expire in 2028.

What estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to weights for volumetric concrete mobile plants on levels of (a) CO2, (b) nitrogen oxide and (c) particulates.

The Department ran a call for evidence from October to December 2023 seeking views on three potential options on weight limits for Volumetric Concrete Mixers (VCMs). The outcome of my Department’s review into volumetric concrete mixers was published on 18 March. This can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/volumetric-concrete-mixers-reviewWhilst some VCM operators have argued that heavier VCMs could reduce overall trips and emissions, the increased road and bridge damage would result in more frequent repairs, offsetting these potential benefits.VCMs will continue to be permitted on our roads, but as planned, a temporary weight limit exemption for this type of vehicle will end on 31 March 2028. This is not a ban or change in policy.

What estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to weights for volumetric concrete mobile plants on the number of lorry drivers that will be required.

The call for evidence conducted from October to December 2023 was an opportunity for respondents to present evidence, but it did not reveal significant new evidence supporting a change in policy.The outcome of my department’s review into VCMs was published on 18 March. This can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/volumetric-concrete-mixers-review Current exemptions to weight limits for VCMs will expire in 2028.