Written questions by Asser.

Communities and Local Government, what recent progress he has made on the regulation of property managing agents; and whether steps are being taken towards the introduction of a single regulator.

Neither the Secretary of State nor I have regular discussions with individual property management companies regarding effective communications with leaseholders. I have had no further direct discussions with FirstPort subsequent to my meeting with Martin King on 17 November 2025 and the exchange of letters that followed it as referenced in my answer to Question UIN 94116 on 1 December 2025. My Department continues to actively monitor standards and quality of service among property management companies, including FirstPort. I otherwise refer the hon. Members to the answer given to Question UIN 85213 on 4 November 2025.

How many applications to open Sixth Forms and Post 16 offers the Department has granted in (a) England, (b) London and (c) West Ham and Beckton constituency in each of the last three years.

The information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

What assessment he has made of the arrangements that will apply from January 2026 for the import of raw cane sugar; and what steps he is taking to provide continuity and certainty for consumers and businesses.

The Government has decided to increase the raw cane sugar Autonomous Tariff Quota (ATQ) to 325,000 tonnes from 1 January 2026. This will allow imports of up to 325,000 tonnes to enter the UK annually at a 0% tariff. It is intended to be in place until 31 December 2033 and will be subject to review ahead of this date. This is the first increase in the quota volume since its establishment in 2021 and will expand the UK’s access to a greater volume of more competitively priced raw cane sugar, providing further relief in import costs for traders, and longer term certainty in the domestic market. The Government does not expect this increase in the ATQ volume to have a material impact on the domestic sugar beet industry.

How many people held pilot licences issued by the Civil Aviation Authority permitting them to fly commercial passenger flights on (a) UK-registered aeroplanes and (b) aeroplanes operated by UK-licensed airlines in each of the last 10 years (i) in total and (ii) broken down by (A) type of licence, (B) sex, (C) age and (D) ethnicity.

We have provided the attached spreadsheet showing the pilot licences issued by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) over the last ten years categorised by type of licence, sex and age. However, the CAA does not hold data on pilot licences categorised by ethnicity.

What steps her Department is taking to tackle shoplifting.

Shop theft continues to increase at an unacceptable level. We will not stand for this.Our approach is clear – we want to see more officers on the streets and those officers to be armed with new powers.That is why we’re giving officers the powers they need through this government’s Crime and Policing Bill, which is introducing a new specific offence of assaulting a retail worker and ending the effective immunity that currently applies for theft of goods of and under £200. We want to remove the perception that those committing shop theft will escape punishment by ensuring there are visible and meaningful consequences for those caught breaking the law.We are also providing over £7 million over the next three years to support the police and retailers tackle retail crime, including continuing to fund a specialist policing team to disrupt organised retail crime gangs and identify more offenders.We are committed to harnessing the collective power of Government, law enforcement and businesses to bear down on retail crime. That is why we are backing the Tackling Retail Crime Together strategy, jointly developed by the police and the private sector. This collaborative approach brings together industry knowledge and experience with policing powers, fostering the local and national partnerships that will make a real difference in local areas.But we want to go further and faster, which is why the Home Secretary recently declared a “Winter of Action”, building on the success of our Safer Streets Summer campaign to tackle town centre crime including shop theft and anti-social behaviour.

What steps she is taking to help ensure effective prosecution for shoplifting.

This Government’s Safer Streets Mission will drive forward the change we need to crack down on shoplifting – a crime that is blighting our communities.This Government is putting a stop to the effective immunity for shoplifting of goods below £200 and bringing in a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect those who face unacceptable abuse in their roles serving the public.The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecutes shoplifting cases robustly where the Code of Crown Prosecutors is met. In the financial year 2024/25, the CPS prosecuted 121,216 offences relating to theft from a shop. This was a 39.4% increase from the year before (86,918 in 2023/2024). In the same year, the CPS prosecuted 2,145 attempted shoplifting offences, an increase of 35.6% from the previous year (2023-2024).

What steps her Department is taking to protect in-school resource provision for pupils with special educational needs.

The department knows there are lots of great examples of mainstream schools delivering specialist provision through resourced provision and special educational needs (SEN) units. They have an important role to play in a more inclusive mainstream system, enabling children to achieve and thrive in a local school.We are committed to encouraging schools and local authorities to set up resourced provision and SEN units to increase capacity in mainstream schools.The department has published allocations for £740 million high needs capital in 2025/26 to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or who require alternative provision, including setting up resourced provision or SEN units in mainstream schools.It is the responsibility of local authorities to ensure there are sufficient school places for pupils in their area, including those with SEND. If a local authority identifies a shortage of places, resulting in a significant number of pupils needing to travel a long way to access a placement, they should consider creating, adapting, or expanding provision to meet that need.

How many (a) adult and (b) child passports have been revoked since 1 January 2024.

The information requested is not centrally held, and could only be collected and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.Obtaining the specific information requested would involve collating and verifying information from multiple systems owned by multiple teams across the Home Office and, therefore, could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

What steps his Department is taking to improve access to NHS dentistry in (a) England, (b) London and (c) West Ham and Beckton constituency.

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most.The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the West Ham and Beckton constituency, this is the NHS North East London ICB. ICBs have been asked to start making extra urgent dental appointments available from April 2025. The North East London ICB is expected to deliver 17,452 additional urgent dental appointments as part of the scheme.ICBs have started to recruit posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up to 240 dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.

With reference to her Department's White Paper entitled Restoring control over the immigration system, published on 12 May 2025, whether the proposed extension of the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain to ten years will apply retrospectively for Skilled Worker Visa holders residing in the UK.

We will be consulting on the earned settlement scheme later this year and further details on the proposed scheme will be provided at that time.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help increase the availability of affordable housing in West Ham and Beckton constituency.

The government is committed to the biggest increase in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.At the Spending Review on 11 June, the Chancellor confirmed £39 billion for a successor to the Affordable Homes Programme over 10 years from 2026-27 to 2035-36. For the first time in recent memory, this will give registered providers a decade of certainty over the capital funding they can access to build new housing developments.The new programme will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and homeownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for social rent. We will publish further details shortly including in relation to the kinds of homes and schemes it will fund and the timeline for opening bids.Following the recent consultation, the government has also confirmed a rent settlement of CPI + 1% for ten years, alongside a consultation to follow shortly on how to implement a catch-up (convergence) mechanism for social rents below formula.We are also providing £950m capital for the fourth round of the Local Authority Housing Fund – the largest round of the fund to date – to support local authorities in England increase the supply of better quality temporary accommodation and drive down the use of Bed and Breakfasts for families with children. The fund will also provide safe and suitable housing for those on the Afghan Resettlement Programme. LAHF investment will provide local authorities with a lasting affordable housing asset for the future.The government has also confirmed over £1 billion between 2026-27 and 2029-30 to accelerate social housing remediation by giving social housing providers equal access to government funding as private building owners receive. This will support providers of social housing to supply more affordable homes, while also improving the living conditions of tenants.These announcements cover the main elements of our social and affordable housing investment strategy in this parliament. We will announce further details about other aspects of our reform programme, including in respect of future regulation on quality and safety and Right to Buy, shortly, so that there is the clarity and certainty needed to quickly ramp up investment in existing and new stock.

If she will take steps to extend the availability of DNA spit kits to licensed private hire drivers.

Violence against transport workers is unacceptable and something I take very seriously. That is why my Department's best practice guidance to taxi and private hire vehicle licensing authorities in England sets out my expectations for the sector including assessing risks to private hire vehicle drivers whilst they are at work. This could include the provision of 'spit kits' to help deter such repellent behaviour.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of protections for overseas (a) health and (b) social care workers on a visa sponsorship arrangement.

The Government condemns the exploitation of international care workers by rogue employers in the adult social care sector and continues to take robust action against this unscrupulous behaviour. We have recently implemented a prohibition on Skilled Worker sponsors recouping sponsorship costs from those they sponsor, and those doing so now risk losing their licence. We are also working to ensure sponsorship and employment systems are more strongly aligned. On 9 April we further clarified our Skilled Worker salary assessment rules to make clear that sponsors cannot inflate wages by including loans for the worker’s immigration application.

What steps he is taking to support jobs in the defence sector.

Defence is not just the cornerstone of national security, but it is also an engine for growth. The Defence Industrial Strategy will deliver good jobs and rewarding careers in Defence, that support communities across our nations. I am also working with my Ministerial colleagues as part of a cross-Government effort to identify and grow the skills the UK defence sector will need for the future.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle hate crimes based on religion in (a) England, (b) London and (c) West Ham and Beckton constituency.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 37961 on 20 March 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to reform the leasehold system.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).

What steps her Department is taking to (a) improve access to pension information and (b) introduce the Pension Dashboards Scheme.

The Government ensures everyone has access to free impartial pension guidance through the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS). Their MoneyHelper service provides guidance to the public on all areas of UK pensions. In September 2024, MaPS launched a new digital service to give individuals more choice on how to access guidance from Pension Wise, which is part of MoneyHelper. Pensions dashboards will improve access to pensions information by allowing people to view information about their pensions, including the State Pension, securely and in one place online. This will help promote greater engagement with pensions information, empowering people to better prepare for retirement. MaPS oversees the Pensions Dashboards Programme (PDP) which is responsible for designing and implementing the digital architecture that will make pensions dashboards work. PDP continues to test the connection journeys of around 20 ‘voluntary participant’ organisations. This activity will help support the connection of pension schemes and providers to the dashboards digital architecture from April 2025, in line with the published timetable. The connection of schemes and providers in line with the dates in guidance will enable MaPS and PDP to undertake user testing, in turn helping to inform the launch of dashboard services at the earliest possible point. Further information on dashboards delivery progress is set out in PDP’s update report, published biannually on the Pensions Dashboards Programme website: www.pensionsdashboardsprogramme.org.uk/progress-update-report.

What steps his Department is taking to tackle health inequalities in (a) England, (b) London, and (c) West Ham and Beckton constituency.

The United Kingdom faces significant health inequalities, with life expectancy varying widely across and within communities. The Government is committed to building a fairer Britain by tackling the structural inequalities that contribute to poor health, particularly for disadvantaged groups.Existing initiatives to reduce inequalities in relation to health services in England include NHS England’s ‘Core 20 Plus 5’, which focuses on improving the five clinical areas at most need of accelerated improvement in the poorest 20 percent of the population, along with other underserved population groups identified at a local level, including groups that share protected characteristics, and socially excluded groups such as people experiencing homelessness.The Office of Health Improvement and Disparities’ London Regional Team provides system leadership for population health and reducing health inequalities across London. Partners are working together to deliver the Health and Care Vision for London, which sets out a shared ambition to make London the healthiest global city, and the best global city in which to receive health and care services. The Vision aims to tackle issues that cause poor health and health inequalities.The Mayor of London has set out his aims and objectives for addressing health inequalities in London. This sets the direction of travel for collaborative working by the Mayor of London, partners and communities to tackle health inequalities.Newham Local Authority received £34.2 million in Public Health Grant funding in 2024/25. This provides services such as stop smoking, drug and alcohol treatment, health visiting/school nursing, sexual health, and NHS Health Checks among others, all of which contribute to addressing health inequalities. Newham Local Authority, the National Health Service and other partners are working together to improve health equity and address the social determinants of health, including through the ‘50 Steps to a Healthier Newham’ Strategy and the Newham Centre for Health Equity.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of GP provision in (a) England, (b) London and (c) West Ham and Beckton constituency; and what steps he is taking to improve patient access.

We know that patients are struggling to see a general practitioner (GP) and we are committed to improving GP provision and access to appointments across the country, including in the West Ham and Beckton constituency. In October 2024, we provided an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, enabling the recruitment of 1,000 newly qualified GPs across England. This will both increase the number of GPs employed and the number of appointments delivered in general practice, benefitting thousands of patients that are struggling to receive the care they desperately deserve. This will also secure the future supply of GPs and take pressure off the existing workforce. Additionally, we have announced a proposed £889 million uplift to the GP contract for 2025/26, the largest uplift in years, with a rising share of total National Health Service resources going to general practice. We are currently consulting the profession on key proposals to improve access, continuity of care and GP recruitment.

What steps her Department is taking to tackle anti-social behaviour in (a) England, (b) London, and (c) West Ham & Beckton constituency.

Tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) is a top priority for this Government and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.The Government’s Plan for Change, announced by the Prime Minister on 5 December, committed to a zero-tolerance approach to ASB. This will include a dedicated lead officer in every force working with communities to develop a local anti-social behaviour action plan. We will also put 13,000 neighbourhood police and community support officers into local communities so that residents have a named officer they can turn to when things go wrong.This Government will strengthen the powers available to relevant agencies to tackle ASB. We recently announced Respect Orders, which will be introduced in the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill. Respect Orders can be applied for by police and local councils and are issued by the courts. They will enable courts to place wide-ranging restrictions on the behaviour of the most persistent and disruptive ASB offenders. Breach will be a criminal offence meaning officers can arrest and take action quickly to disrupt ongoing ASB. Breaches will be heard in the criminal courts who will have a wide range of sentencing options, including community orders, unlimited fines and, for the most severe cases, up to two years’ imprisonment.