Written questions by Wild.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of adding energy nationally significant infrastructure projects to the renewable energy planning database.

Energy nationally significant infrastructure projects are already included in the Renewable Energy Planning Database, which can be seen by filtering by planning authority for The Planning Inspectorate.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/renewable-energy-planning-database-monthly-extract

Whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of Child Arrangements Orders.

The Department has not made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of child arrangements orders or of the approach to cases where a parent breaches a court order. However, the Government is committed to long-term reform of the family courts, working with our partners across the family justice system to deliver better outcomes for families. This includes making progress on implementing the recommendations from 2020’s Assessing Risk of Harm to Children and Parents in Private Law Children Cases, known as the Harm Panel report.Child arrangement orders give clarity to parties on where their child will live and if and when they will spend time with each of the parties. If a person has failed to comply with a Child Arrangements Order, the court has a range of powers it may exercise. This could include referring the parties to a Planning Together for Children programme or recommending they undertake a form of non-court dispute resolution, such as mediation. The court may make a more defined child arrangements order, which could involve a reconsideration of the child’s living or contact arrangements. Depending on the circumstances, the court also has the power to make an enforcement or suspended enforcement order, or to issue a fine or commit an individual to prison for being in contempt of court for breaching the terms of an order.

Whether his Department has recently made an assessment of the adequacy of the approach to child maintenance for parents without custody arrangements.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) operates on the principle that both parents have financial responsibility for their child, including their food and clothing, as well as contributing towards the associated costs of running the home that the child lives in. Issues relating to access and contact are managed by family courts. Reductions can be made for the extra cost of care where it is shared by the paying parent. The paying parent must have overnight care of any qualifying children for at least 52 nights a year, equivalent of 1 night per week. The amount payable is reduced by a maximum of fifty per cent within bands based on the number of nights overnight care is provided over a 12-month period. The bands are used to give greater stability to maintenance payments and as a result there is greater reliability of payments, which contributes towards the welfare of the children in the case. If evidence shows that both parties are providing equal day-to-day care of a qualifying child, in addition to sharing overnight care, there is no requirement for either parent to pay child maintenance.

What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the handling of child custody cases through non-court processes.

The Ministry of Justice continues to develop its understanding of how non-court processes support families to resolve post-separation issues, such as child arrangements.Evidence from the Family Mediation Voucher Scheme suggests that these approaches can help families reach agreement without needing to go to court. Analysis of the first 7,200 cases completed under the scheme shows that 69% of participants reached a whole or partial agreement and did not need to go to court to resolve their issues. Since its launch, the scheme has supported over 49,000 families, and the Government has committed to continue funding it until at least March 2026.The Government believes that helping parents reach agreement outside of court, including through mediation, reduces conflict and benefits children’s wellbeing, and continues to assess these approaches.

What his planned timetable is for the expansion of the Pathfinder pilot.

The Pathfinder programme is currently operating in six Designated Family Judge areas across England and Wales. Three further court areas - the Black Country and Shropshire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire and in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire - will start the model on 11 November.Courts in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight will start the model in January next year.Further expansion of the model will be considered during the allocations process which follows the latest Spending Review, and we are unable to pre-empt the outcome of this.

Whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the the potential benefits of accelerating the expansion of the Pathfinder pilot.

The Pathfinder model is currently operating in six Designated Family Judge areas across England and Wales. Three further court areas - the Black Country and Shropshire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire, and Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire - will start the model on 11 November. Courts in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight will start the model in January next year.This Government is delivering a package of reform to ensure that children and victims of domestic abuse continue to be safeguarded and supported in family court proceedings, Pathfinder is central to this. Monitoring metrics are positive and the feedback from operational teams and external stakeholders has identified a range of benefits. A process evaluation and initial financial analysis of the pilot was published in March 2025. Research participants involved in the evaluation reported that the Child Impact Report adopted in the pilots improved child engagement and the model provided better support for victims of domestic abuse. Management information from the two initial pilot court areas showed cases in the model were resolved 11 weeks quicker and the open caseload reduced by 50%.Further expansion of the model will be considered during the allocations process which follows the latest Spending Review, and we are unable to pre-empt the outcome of this.

Whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the approach to custody decisions in cases where a parent breaches a court order.

The Department has not made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of child arrangements orders or of the approach to cases where a parent breaches a court order. However, the Government is committed to long-term reform of the family courts, working with our partners across the family justice system to deliver better outcomes for families. This includes making progress on implementing the recommendations from 2020’s Assessing Risk of Harm to Children and Parents in Private Law Children Cases, known as the Harm Panel report.Child arrangement orders give clarity to parties on where their child will live and if and when they will spend time with each of the parties. If a person has failed to comply with a Child Arrangements Order, the court has a range of powers it may exercise. This could include referring the parties to a Planning Together for Children programme or recommending they undertake a form of non-court dispute resolution, such as mediation. The court may make a more defined child arrangements order, which could involve a reconsideration of the child’s living or contact arrangements. Depending on the circumstances, the court also has the power to make an enforcement or suspended enforcement order, or to issue a fine or commit an individual to prison for being in contempt of court for breaching the terms of an order.

What steps her Department is taking to improve public transport connections in (a) North West Norfolk constituency and (b) rural areas.

The Government knows that a modern public transport network is vital to providing access to services and keeping communities connected. We have introduced the Bus Services Act 2025 to put power over local bus services back into the hands of local leaders, including in rural areas. In addition, the Government has confirmed over £1 billion for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. Norfolk County Council has been allocated £15.9 million of this funding, helping to improve bus services and connectivity across the area, including North West Norfolk. Rail services in North West Norfolk are supported by requirements on train operators to plan services and design timetables to meet both current and future passenger demand, while also ensuring value for money for the taxpayer. The Government commitment to public ownership through Great British Railways will also help to deliver a unified system that focuses on reliable, affordable, high-quality and efficient transport services, whilst also ensuring safety and accessibility. Under public ownership, passenger services can be operated in the interests of passengers, not shareholders. The Government also intends to publish its Integrated National Transport Strategy. It will focus on creating a transport network that works well for people, including those in rural areas.

Whether she plans to house asylum seekers in North West Norfolk constituency.

The priority is to ensure that the procurement of secure, safe and sustainable dispersed accommodation is carried out in a fair and equitable manner so that the Home Office continues to meet its statutory obligations while also carefully considering the impact on local areas.The Home Office operates a Full Dispersal model which works to ensure that asylum accommodation is equitably and fairly spread out across the country. Dispersed accommodation offers accommodation that delivers better value for money for the taxpayer and helps the Home Office work towards the fair and equitable spread of accommodation. The Home Office continues to work with local government to allocate asylum seekers based on a range of evidence, including the availability of housing, pressure on services and community cohesion.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 82981 on PE and sport premium grant funding, what alternative funding streams her Department provides that are available to primary schools for capital expenditure on sports equipment.

Schools, including primary schools, are allocated devolved formula capital (DFC) to spend on capital projects and capital purchases that meet their own priorities.Further information and DFC allocations for the 2025/26 financial year are published here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/school-capital-funding.

What estimate he has made of the number of prisoners detained beyond their release date in 2024-25.

Release inaccuracy is yet another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government. While the overwhelming majority of offenders are released correctly, we are clamping down on those errors that do occur, and this includes unlawful detentions. As the Deputy Prime Minister set out to the House, immediate measures have been introduced to strengthen release checks across prisons – making them the strongest release checks to ever be in place and an independent inquiry will report its recommendations to prevent further inaccuracies.

With reference to his Department's webpage entitled Prisons data, Additional data, how many of the 262 prisoners released in error in 2024-5 were returned to custody.

Releases in error have been increasing for several years and are another symptom of the prison system crisis inherited by this Government.While the overwhelming majority of offenders are released correctly, we are clamping down on those releases in error that do occur – including through improved staff training and establishing a new specialist unit. A joint protocol between HMPPS and NPCC is in place, to ensure effective and timely communication between partner agencies when an individual is released in error to rearrest them as quickly as possible.We have gripped this chaos – by building more prison places, ending the last Government’s early release scheme, being transparent with the public, immediately making changes to sentences to ease pressure on the system and now, taking landmark reforms through our Sentencing Bill to make sure that prisons never run out of places again.Annual totals for releases in error are published each July in the HMPPS Annual Digest, available via Prison and Probation Performance Statistics - GOV.UK, and provide data up to March 2025.

What steps have been taken at HMP Garth to help prevent drones bringing drugs into the prison.

His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) is working hard to deter, detect and disrupt the use of drones that deliver contraband into prisons.Owing to operational sensitives, we are not able to discuss the measures used by HMP Garth to disrupt drones, as that would aid serious and organised criminals. However, HMPPS uses a multi-faceted approach to tackle this threat which includes a variety of physical security countermeasures, intelligence led operations and legislation. As part of this work, we conduct drone vulnerability assessments to understand and mitigate risk and we are investing £40 million in new security measures to clamp down on the contraband that fuels violence behind bars, including £10 million on anti-drone measures such as exterior netting and reinforced windows.HMPPS is also working with UK and global partners to understand the tactics used abroad and identify opportunities to strengthen our response to illicit drone activity.

When he plans to provide an answer to Question 82727 on National Security Adviser: China, tabled on 16 October 2025.

A response has been issued here.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of funding for (a) schools and (b) colleges in North West Norfolk constituency.

The government has increased school funding by £3.7 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, a 6% increase on 2024/25 levels, and committed to a further increase of £4.2 billion through the 2025 Spending Review. This additional funding will provide an above real terms per pupil increase on the core schools budget and support us to transform the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system.With regards to colleges, £8.5 billion of 16 to 19 programme funding has been invested during the 2025/26 academic year. Published allocations show that 16 to 19 funded institutions in Norfolk have been allocated approximately £112 million in 16 to 19 total programme funding.In North West Norfolk, mainstream school funding per pupil through the dedicated schools grant averages £6,343 (excluding growth and falling rolls funding) in the 2025/26 financial year. The precise funding individual schools receive will depend on how Norfolk local authority decide to distribute the funding they receive.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2025 to Question 77620 Self-assessment: Fines, what the average response time was of HMRC’s dedicated support service to those facing personal difficulties over the latest 12 months for which data is available.

HMRC are committed to being aware of customers’ wider personal situations and will provide extra support if customers need it, as set out in the HMRC Charter. All HMRC advisers are given training and guidance on how to identify customers who need extra help and how to either provide tailored support themselves or refer the customer to HMRC’s specialist extra support provision. HMRC increased the size of its Extra Support Team (EST) by 28% over 2024 to 2025. In 2024 to 2025, HMRC’s dedicated Customer Service EST helped over 150,000 customers in vulnerable circumstances. The average response time for those contacting the EST in the past twelve months (October 2024- September 2025) was:Referrals via telephony - an average wait time of 44 seconds.Webchat - average wait time of 3 minutes and 14 seconds.Post - 81.18% of correspondence cleared within 15 working days.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2025 to Question 77620 on Self-assessment: Fines, if he will set out for (a) late-filing of Self Assessment forms and (b) late payment of Income Tax (i) how many penalties were cancelled, (ii) the average cost per cancellation, (iii) the average length of time taken by HMRC to cancel a penalty and (iv) the average value of penalties cancelled in each year since 2011.

Data on the average cost per cancellation and the average time to cancel penalties is not available.Final data on the late payment of income tax and the average value of penalties cancelled in each year since 2011 cannot be provided as returns continue to be issued, received and cancelled for several years after the filing return

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2025 to Question 77620 on Self-assessment: Fines, whether her Department plans to consult on the new penalty regime for the (a) late filing of Self Assessment returns and (b) late payment of Income Tax; and when she plan to introduce the new regimes.

The previous government held three public consultations between 2016 and 2018 on reforms to late filing and late payment penalties. Following this, penalty reform was introduced for VAT customers in 2023 as part of Making Tax Digital. The same approach will be extended to Income Tax Self Assessment customers as follows: From April 2026: businesses with qualifying income over £50,000From April 2027: businesses with qualifying income over £30,000From April 2028: businesses with qualifying income over £20,000 The government will confirm in due course when the remaining Income Tax Self Assessment customers will move to the new penalty approach.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of changing the guidance entitled PE and sport premium: conditions of grant 2024 to 2025, last updated on 23 April 2025, to permit capital expenditure on sports equipment.

As revenue funding, the PE and sport premium grant funding is unable to be used towards capital expenditure. Schools access capital funding through other funding streams.

What steps she is taking to help tackle the theft of farm machinery in rural areas.

We will be implementing the Equipment Theft Act, which is aimed at preventing equipment being stolen, making it harder for criminals to sell on stolen vehicles and equipment and assisting the police with identifying the owner.We published the Government Response to the Call for Evidence on 17 October which sets out the scope for the necessary secondary legislation to be introduced.The Act’s secondary legislation will require forensic marking to be applied to new All-Terrain Vehicles and for the details to be registered on a property database, for forensic marking to be applied to all new GPS units for use in agricultural and commercial settings, and for the details to be registered on a property databaseAdditionally, the Crime and Policing Bill introduces a new power for the police to enter and search premises to which items have been electronically tracked by GPS or other means, which will help the police in tackling stolen equipment and machinery.This financial year we are providing the first Home Office funding since 2023 for the National Rural Crime Unit. This funding will enable the Unit to continue to increase collaboration across police forces, harnessing the latest technology and data to target the serious organised crime groups involved in crimes like equipment theft from farms.