Written questions by Morris.

What recent estimate she has made of the level of pay rise required by prison officers for salaries to be at the same real-terms levels as they were in 2010.

Pay for Prison Officers is informed by independent recommendations made by the Prison Service Pay Review Body (PSPRB).HMPPS’ written evidence to the PSPRB for 2025/26 was published on 10 December 2025. This noted that the rate of economic growth since the global financial crisis of 2008 has been substantially lower than in previous decades. Annual real productivity growth (GDP per hour worked) fell by around 1.5% from an average of 2.1% in the decade prior to 2008, to 0.6% between 2010 and 2019. Higher productivity enables higher wages, and only sustained productivity growth over the medium-term can deliver sustainable long-run economic growth and real-terms wage rises.In making their independent recommendations, the PSPRB takes account of the written and oral evidence submitted by Government as well as evidence and representations made by the recognised Trade Unions, including the Prison Officers’ Association. The PSPRB considers a range of factors such as private sector wage growth, inflation, and future Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts.

What recent discussions she has had with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency on enforcement of the Seafarers Wages Act 2023.

Officials from the Department for Transport and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency have regular meetings to discuss enforcement of the Seafarers’ Wages Act 2023. Department for Transport officials held a training session for Maritime and Coastguard Agency inspectors on the requirements of the legislation in November 2024.

What the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s annual budget was in each year between 2018-19 and 2024-25.

The MCA’s annual budget each year from 2018/19 – 2024/25 as follows: SourceResource Budget £Capital Budget £Total Budget £2024-2025Parliamentary Main Supply Estimate443,73521,842465,5772023-2024Parliamentary Supply Estimate416,59439,479456,0732022-2023Parliamentary Supply Estimate416,16838,401454,5692021-2022Parliamentary Supply Estimate389,89161,184451,0752020-2021Parliamentary Supply Estimate376,69343,171419,8642019-2020Parliamentary Supply Estimate365,27316,327381,6002018-2019Parliamentary Supply Estimate349,05511,866360,921

What progress she has made on launching an inquiry into the events at Orgreave during the miners strike.

The Home Secretary and the Minister of State for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention have met with the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign, and the Home Office is developing plans to deliver on the Government’s manifesto commitment to ensure, through an investigation or inquiry, that the truth about the events at Orgreave comes to light.

When she expects the Health and Safety Executive to publish its report into the loss of a crew member on the Liberian flagged drill rig jack up vessel Valaris 121 on 22 January 2023.

The Health and Safety Executive Energy Division, having completed their investigation, on 20 November 2024 submitted a report to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. Once the Procurator Fiscal has reviewed the report and due process has been followed, the factual findings around the incident will be available.

What estimate his Department has made of the number of jobs in the decommissioning sector of the offshore oil and gas industry in each financial year from 2013-14 and 2024-25.

No such estimates have been made. The planning and delivery of decommissioning is often integrated into the organisational capabilities of upstream oil and gas operators and supply chain companies. It is therefore difficult to determine how many of this workforce are, or have been, focused on decommissioning activities over the last 10 years.

With reference to the document entitled UKCS Decommissioning Cost and Performance Update 2024, published on 16 June 2024, whether the estimates of the annual cost of decommissioning offshore oil and gas infrastructure are net of annual relief on corporation tax granted for decommissioning expenditure in the oil and gas sector.

The decommissioning cost estimates referred to, which are published by the North Sea Transition Authority, are pre-tax. Any annual relief on corporation tax granted for decommissioning expenditure in the oil and gas sector has not been applied.

If she will list the oil and gas fields that qualified for relief from corporation tax on decommissioning expenditure in the offshore oil and gas sector in each financial year between 2013-14 and 2024-25.

It is a long-standing convention that the government does not discuss individual taxpayers, and so the government cannot discuss the tax history of individual oil and gas fields. Companies operating oil and gas fields in the UK and on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) are required to decommission the wells and infrastructure at the end of a field’s life. Tax relief is a normal part of a corporate tax system where there are genuine costs to companies, and so providing tax relief on decommissioning recognises the heavy “end of life” cost for oil and gas projects. Estimates of the cost of tax reliefs used by oil and gas companies under the Ring Fence Corporation Tax (RFCT) and Petroleum Revenue Tax (PRT) regimes, including the costs of RFCT and PRT decommissioning tax reliefs, are published at tax relief statistics gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tax-relief-statistics). This publication contains non-disclosive estimates of number of claimants for each relief, where relevant data are available.

When she expects the Marine Accident Investigation Branch to publish its report into the loss of a crew member on the Liberian flagged drill rig jack up vessel Valaris 121 on 22 January 2023.

The Liberian registered Valaris 121, a mobile drilling rig, was under tow outside United Kingdom territorial waters when the accident took place. In line with the International Maritime Organization’s Casualty Investigation Code (the Code), as the flag State of the vessel, the Liberian Registry’s Marine Investigations Department has commenced an investigation. As this accident involved a UK national, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch has declared itself a substantially interested state under the Code and has provided assistance to the Liberian investigation where required. Once their investigation is complete the Liberian authorities will publish a report into the accident.

When she plans to announce the ten pilot areas for the Kinship Care Allowance.

The department recognises the important role that kinship carers play in caring for some of the most vulnerable children, and the role local authorities have in supporting them.The government has recently announced a £40 million package to trial a new Kinship Allowance in up to ten local authorities, to test whether paying an allowance to cover the additional costs of supporting the child can help increase the number of children taken in by family members and friends.The department will share further details on the process for selecting local authorities in due course.

Communities and Local Government, what information her Department holds on the number of cases in which location data for out-of-area placements made while discharging a homelessness duty is (a) not recorded or (b) unknown, in each of the last five years.

Homelessness levels are far too high. This can have a devastating impact on those affected, especially children. Too many families are spending years in temporary accommodation, at a point in a child’s life when they need space to play and develop, nutritious food to thrive and access to education.We must address this and deliver long term solutions. The Government is looking at these issues carefully and will develop a new cross government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country to get us back on track to ending homelessness once and for all. This includes a dedicated Inter-Ministerial Group, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, bringing together ministers from across government.More widely, we are taking action to tackle the root causes of homelessness by delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation and building 1.5 million new homes over the next parliament. The government is also abolishing Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions, preventing private renters being exploited and discriminated against, and empowering people to challenge unreasonable rent increases.We are already taking the first steps to get back on track to ending homelessness. As announced at the Budget, funding for homelessness services is increasing next year by £233 million compared to this year (2024/25). This increased spending will help to prevent rises in the number of families in temporary accommodation and help to prevent rough sleeping. This brings total spend to nearly £1 billion in 25/26. Allocations for individual local authorities in England will be set out later in December.The department regularly collects homelessness data, including on out of area placements, which can be found here in table TA 1 and are published quarterly: Statutory homelessness in England: April to June 2024 - GOV.UK. Records on the location of accommodation where accommodation is secured to end the prevention or relief duties, including where that accommodation is out of area, are published annually and can be found in tables P4 and R4 here: Detailed_LA_20232024.xlsx.

What the non-standard occupation groups in his Department are.

Ministry of Defence (MOD) Non-Standard Occupational Groups (NSOG) are groups of staff for whom some aspects of their terms and conditions of service are different from the MOD broader-banded grade structure as aligned to civil service standard grades i.e. the core civilian workforce in Defence. NSOG groups are distinguished because they have an analogue link to an outside counterpart and their pay and other terms and conditions of service are either directly linked or influenced by their outside public sector comparator grade. The MOD has five main NSOG groups: Ministry of Defence PoliceMOD clinical grades - NHS Agenda for Change grades, NHS Civilian Consultants, Civilian Medical Practitioner (doctors), Civilian Dental Practitioners (dentists)Defence Fire Rescue Service gradesTeaching/educational gradesYouth and Community grades

Pursuant to Answer of 11 November 2024 to Question12278 on Rolling Stock, whether a rolling stock strategy will be published before the establishment of Great British Railways.

The Department for Transport is developing a Rolling Stock Strategy. This will align with the wider objectives of the industry in ending the current variability in production rates and ensuring a stable pipeline of work for the rolling stock supply chain. Once established, Great British Railways will take the strategy forward providing a long-term approach to future rolling stock needs and helping to secure better value from the private rolling stock market.

When she plans to convene the next meeting of the Department for Transport’s Freight Council.

Our ambition is for the Freight Council to bring leaders from the freight and logistics sector together with government to agree priorities and actions, so that freight plays its full part in growing our economy. We have been considering the best Council format to achieve this and will confirm this in due course.

What recent estimate she has made of the prison maintenance backlog.

We will shortly be publishing an ad-hoc report on the prison estate conditions survey, which will contain information on the maintenance implications.HMPPS is investing up to £220 million on maintenance this financial year 2024/25. We will continue to invest in the HMPPS estate in 2025-26, up to £300 million on maintenance to keep prisons safe and secure.

What guidance her Department issues on the powers available to (a) local authorities and (b) the police to (i) remove and (ii) seize a vehicle parked on a public highway that does not have a valid MOT.

The Department for Transport does not issue such guidance. The police can check if a vehicle has a valid MOT by using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras and conducting random stops, and they are able to seize a vehicle without a valid MOT. Local authorities already have parking enforcement powers and can remove vehicles parked illegally, and many also enable the public to report vehicles without valid MOTs online.

What guidance her Department issues on the powers available to (a) local authorities and (b) the police to (i) remove and (ii) seize a vehicle parked on a public highway that does not have valid insurance.

The Government takes uninsured driving very seriously and is determined to see a reduction in this offence. Since 2005, the police have had the power to seize vehicles that are being driven without insurance and as of 2020, two million vehicles had been seized in Great Britain. We do not currently issue guidance on vehicle seizure for vehicles without insurance.

How many magistrates courts closed in each year since 2010.

The table below shows the number of Magistrates’ Courts that have permanently closed in each financial year (FY) since 2010/11. The figures do not include integrations, where workload remained in the local area by transferring to a building in close proximity, or courts that are temporarily closed.Financial YearMagistrates' Courts closed2010/1112011/12842012/1352013/1442014/1552015/1662016/17402017/18122018/1942019/2042020/2102021/2202022/2302023/2402024/250

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2024 to Question 13192 on Homelessness, if she will publish her letter of 11 November 2024 addressed to all local authority Chief Executives in England about out-of-area accommodation placements.

As set out in my answer to Question UIN 13192, on 11 November 2024 the Deputy Prime Minister wrote to all local authority Chief Executives in England about out-of-area accommodation placements, including temporary accommodation and housing offers to end a homelessness duty.The letter referred to section 208 of the Housing Act 1996, reminding local authorities that they are required by law to notify the receiving local authority of any out-of-area placement and that this should be happening in every case. It also highlighted the importance of considering safeguarding arrangements when placing households out of area, including relevant consultation with Children’s Services. The letter requested that Chief Executives personally assure themselves that these notifications are happening.

If she will make it her policy to create a statutory duty on fire and rescue services to respond to major flooding events.

Fire and Rescue Authorities have duties under the Civil Contingencies Act (2004) to prepare for emergencies, including major flooding. Fire Rescue Authorities also have discretionary powers to respond to incidents under their general powers in the Fire and Rescue Services Act (2004) and in response to the risks set out in their Community Risk Management Plans prepared under the National Framework.The Home Office is undertaking further work alongside Defra, the National Fire Chiefs Council and other relevant stakeholders to understand in more detail if there are gaps in the Fire and Rescue Services flooding response and resilience system.