Written questions by Smith.

Pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2026 to WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of each flight to Albania; which Ministers and senior officials approved each visit; how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of each visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.

There was a single return flight to Albania, and this was to enable an official to attend a conference of the joint United Nations and World Health Organisation Pan European Programme for Transport, Health and the Environment. A single official at HEO grade attended and no ministers or senior officials were present. The cost of the flight was £144.96. There was no option to attend this event remotely.

What recent discussions she has had with the Department for Education on the effect of VAT on the affordability for families of children's play centres.

The Government recognises the vital role that children’s play centres play in supporting working families and their contribution to communities across the country. To support them and other businesses we are introducing new permanently lower business rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties, including soft play centres. These tax reductions are worth nearly £1 billion per year and will benefit over 750,000 properties. VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. A tax relief here would come at a cost to the Exchequer, reducing the revenue available for vital public services and would have to represent value for money for the taxpayer. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations.

What assessment she has made of the cost impact on the public purse of zero rating VAT for children's play centres.

The Government recognises the vital role that children’s play centres play in supporting working families and their contribution to communities across the country. To support them and other businesses we are introducing new permanently lower business rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties, including soft play centres. These tax reductions are worth nearly £1 billion per year and will benefit over 750,000 properties. VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. A tax relief here would come at a cost to the Exchequer, reducing the revenue available for vital public services and would have to represent value for money for the taxpayer. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations.

What recent assessment she has made of the potential economic merits of zero rating VAT on admission tickets for children's play centres.

The Government recognises the vital role that children’s play centres play in supporting working families and their contribution to communities across the country. To support them and other businesses we are introducing new permanently lower business rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties, including soft play centres. These tax reductions are worth nearly £1 billion per year and will benefit over 750,000 properties. VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. A tax relief here would come at a cost to the Exchequer, reducing the revenue available for vital public services and would have to represent value for money for the taxpayer. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations.

In which month will the first East West Rail services operate from Oxford to Oxford Park Way.

The Department continues to work closely with Chiltern Railways and other partners to confirm a start date for the first EWR services between Oxford and Oxford Parkway. For passenger services to commence, trains will need to have been modified and fully tested, and driver training will need to have been completed. Winslow station also needs to be fully handed over, and future staffing arrangements also remain to be agreed.

Whether the Government Property Agency has made an estimate of staff time or resource allocated to measuring, collecting, reporting or validating greenhouse gas emissions across the parts of the estate for which it is responsible.

I refer to my answer for 116583. The GPA calculates greenhouse gas emissions for office space occupied by GPA staff and provides utility consumption data for departments occupying other buildings within its managed estate. As this activity is performed by staff as part of their wider duties, the exact amount of time allocated to this specific activity is not centrally recorded.

Whether the funding allocation for the Zero Emission Truck and Van represents a capped budget; and what estimate she has made of the total potential liability.

The Zero Emission Van and Truck Grants are subject to a set budget of £877 million to 2030 and will close when available funding has been allocated for this period.

What assessment has been made of the role ferry services to the Isle of Wight play in providing access to essential services, including healthcare, education and employment.

The Government recognises that communities rely on Cross-Solent ferry services for accessing jobs, education and healthcare. They operate in a commercial environment without intervention from the Government. The Department has regular discussions on these services.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2026 to Question 110890, what estimate her Department has made of (a) the total number of HGV parking spaces originally expected to be delivered under the HGV Parking and Driver Welfare Matched Funding Scheme and (b) the revised number expected to be delivered following project withdrawals and scope changes.

The HGV Parking and Driver Welfare Match Funding Grant Scheme was initially estimated to have the potential to create up to an additional 1500 spaces. These figures were based on information provided to the Department by operators as part of the application process for projects where reconfiguration and expansion were taking place. To date 16 projects have been withdrawn by operators with an estimated reduction of up to 177 parking spaces, reducing the initial estimate to up to 1,323 spaces.

Whether she has reviewed the design of the Government Fleet Commitment to ensure that short-term vehicle hire is captured within its targets.

Short term vehicle hires, which can happen at short notice, are subject to vehicle availability at the time and the policies of each hire company. The previous Government did not include vehicles hired for fewer than six days within the Government Fleet Commitment, when it established the commitment, and the Department is not considering changing this. Departments are expected to continue to take action to reduce their impact on the environment, including for example working with lease operators and hire companies to minimise the carbon intensity of their fleets and rental vehicles.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 118043, how many applications for driving examiner roles were received by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency in each of the last three years.

The table below shows the number of completed applications received for driving examiner (DE) roles in the years 2023 to 2025.YearTotal completed applications received20233,53620246,693202511,132 This data includes only completed application forms on Civil Service Jobs. It does not include those started but not completed. For any recruitment campaign a candidate must complete the application on Civil Service Jobs by the application deadline. If a candidate starts the initial application but does not complete it, this application will not be considered as part of the final sift of applications.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 118042, what alternative methods the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency uses to identify the source of applications for driving examiner roles.

All driving examiner (DE) applications are made through Civil Service Jobs on GOV.UK.Whilst the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) cannot get details of applicant referral sources from the Government Recruitment Service, for campaigns up to November 2025, DVSA used the data available from the civil service recruitment standard applicants survey. This shows which advertising routes generate candidates, however the information does not give 100% coverage.In December 2025, DVSA introduced a DVSA specific survey. This is sent to everyone who is offered an interview. This is then followed by another survey sent to anyone who successfully moves onto training. DVSA will cross-reference the data from these two surveys going forward, but for now DVSA has data for only one complete and one ongoing campaign.

Pursuant to the answer of 16 March 2026 to Question 119471 on the Vehicle Certification Agency, what internal efficiency measures are being undertaken by the Vehicle Certification Agency; what the estimated annual savings from those measures are; and over what timeframe those savings are expected to be realised.

The Vehicle Certification Agency is taking forward a number of measures, including service digitisation, and updating legacy systems. This is estimated to deliver circa £1-1.5m in additional efficiency savings in the 2026/27 financial year.

What discussions Ministers and officials held with the Northern Ireland Executive and DAERA in the period immediately preceding the Assembly vote on the UK ETS maritime extension.

The ETS Authority, made up of the four governments work together for the implementation and ongoing maintenance of the UK ETS. There is regular dialogue between DESNZ and the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) on ETS matters, including on maritime. DAERA officials provide advice on ETS matters to the NI Executive and DAERA Ministers.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2026 to Question 116554, whether her Department has corroborated the findings of Thatcham Research; whether any UK fire and rescue services have provided data on hybrid vehicle fire incidence rates; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that policy is based on transparent and independently verifiable evidence.

The Department has not corroborated the findings of Thatcham Research, nor has it received data on hybrid vehicle fire incidents from Fire & Rescue Services. The Chief Scientific Advisors at the Department for Transport and Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government co-chair a regular Technical Steering Group, attended by Government officials, industry representatives, Fire & Rescue Service representatives, and academic experts to review current scientific literature relating to electric vehicle fires, identify gaps in understanding, and advise on how these may be addressed.

A) what assessment she has made of progress towards delivering an additional one million pothole repairs per year; b) whether the Government is currently on track to meet that target in (i) 2025–26 and (ii) 2026–27; c) what steps she plans to take if delivery is below the level required to meet that commitment.

The Government’s record £7.3 billion investment over the next four years will bring annual funding for local authorities to repair and renew their roads and fix potholes to over £2 billion annually, doubling annual funding by 2029-30 compared to 2024-25 levels. This funding increase is enough to enable local authorities to fill millions of additional potholes in each year of this Parliament when compared to 2024-25. At the same time, the Department is also expecting local highway authorities to adopt best practice in highways maintenance, which includes a greater focus on preventative maintenance so that fewer potholes form in the first place and a greater focus on permanent pothole repairs to reduce the need for repeated and more costly temporary repairs.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations she has made to her Turkish counterpart on the pre-trial detention of Iain Guille, and what steps she is taking to help protect his welfare.

The Minister of State for Europe, Stephen Doughty, has discussed Iain Guille's detention and welfare with his Turkish counterpart on two occasions, most recently in February 2026. UK Consular officials, in conjunction with their Canadian counterparts, have raised concerns about Mr Guille's welfare with the Turkish authorities, and will continue to monitor his health and welfare while he is detained, engaging with the relevant authorities as appropriate.

What estimate his Department has made of when electric vehicles will reach price parity with internal combustion engine vehicles.

As part of the October 2023 Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA), the Department for Transport published projections for the costs of zero emission cars and vans to 2050. The analysis can be found here :https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6554be55544aea000dfb2d59/zev-mandate-consultation-final-cost-benefit-analysis.pdf.

What the average cost per kWh was for public rapid electric vehicle charging in each year since 2021.

This information is available from external industry sources such as Zapmap, who estimate that the current average cost of rapid/ultra rapid public charging is around 76p/kWh, as of February 2026. This price level has remained broadly constant over the past year. Average public charging price data is produced and published by Zapmap here: https://www.zapmap.com/ev-stats/charging-price-index.

What information his Department holds on the average industrial electricity price for automotive manufacturers in (a) the UK and (b) international competitors.

The department publishes an annual comparison of the UK’s industrial electricity prices to the IEA and a bi-annual comparison of the UK’s non-domestic electricity prices to the EU.International non-domestic energy prices - GOV.UK These are average prices for industry and the non-domestic sector and do not disaggregate by sector of manufacturing.