Written questions by McMahon.

What discussions he has had with local authority trading standards teams about assessing the potential risk of purchasing imported e-bikes and e-scooters, and fire risk from sub standard batteries and chargers.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) within my Department leads the UK’s product safety framework, and works closely with Local Authority Trading Standards (LATS) to enforce product safety laws, including safety requirements for e-bikes, e-scooters and their batteries. OPSS shares border profiling with LATS to target unsafe products entering the UK and supports LATS with training, testing and scientific advice. In 2024, OPSS funded a programme of LATS inspections of businesses repairing or modifying e-bike and e-scooter products to raise compliance.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of third-party campaigner regulations and levels of compliance in England.

Political parties, candidates and third-party campaigners are subject to strict campaign spending limits at UK elections and transparency requirements. As set out in our Strategy for Modern Elections, we are taking forward a package of measures to strengthen the rules around political finance, some of which will apply to third-party campaigners. This includes requiring recipients of donations to consider the risk of political donations being illegitimate, ensure political donors declare any benefit or sources of funding connected to their donation and tighten the rules around company donations by allowing them to donate only if they have a genuine connection to the UK or Ireland.

What assessment she has made of the take up of cycling proficiency programmes in schools in (a) England (b) Greater Manchester and (c) Oldham.

The Bikeability programme is a key part of the Government’s Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy. The programme delivers a range of cycle training activities aimed at giving children the skills and confidence to cycle on the road, and is mostly delivered through schools. Across England (outside London), Bikeability level 2 cycle training (on road) was delivered to 54% of year 6 children in 2025/6. In Greater Manchester it was 57% and in Oldham 39% (however this is a significant increase on 20% the previous year).

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of ghost number plate enforcement in England.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and other government departments to improve the identification and enforcement of number plate crime, including the use of cloned and “ghost” number plates. It is already illegal to use a vehicle displaying cloned or “ghost” number plates.The enforcement of road traffic law and how available resources are deployed is the responsibility of individual Chief Officers and Police and Crime Commissioners, taking into account the specific local problems and demands with which they are faced. The Police are operationally independent and they will investigate each case according to its individual merits.This Government takes road safety seriously. We are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. We are considering a range of policies under the new Road Safety Strategy; the first for ten years. This includes the case for changing the motoring offences. We are considering concerns raised by campaigns, Parliamentarians and bereaved families that Ministers have met.The Government intends to publish the Road Safety Strategy by the end of the year.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of Heathrow expansion on regional airports such as Manchester.

Expanding Heathrow has the potential to support connections between the regions and London, and, in turn, between the UK’s regions and the global economy - giving the entire UK more access to Heathrow’s world-leading connectivity. Domestic connectivity is a key part of the Airports National Policy Statement that we are currently reviewing, and we will consult on any revisions by summer 2026.

What estimate has been made of the value of fines imposed on utility companies by highway authorities in England for each year from 2015 to date.

The Department for Transport has not made estimates of the value of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) issued to utility companies by highway authorities in England and does not hold data of this nature. While it is a legal requirement to raise FPNs in Street Manager, the Department only records information on the number of FPNs raised, which authority issued them, which utility company received them, and the reason for the FPN. Local highway authorities may hold data on the value of FPNs. The Department for Transport sets FPN amounts to encourage compliance with street works regulations. From 5 January 2026, FPNs will double from their current amount for certain offences, including working without a permit, breaching permit conditions, and failing to provide start and stop notices on time.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment has been made of the trends in insourcing in adult social care and children social care in England.

The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government works closely with both the Department for Health and Social Care and Department for Education on the provision of, and funding for, social care services. Local Authorities are responsible for delivering adults and children’s social care services, and it is for them to decide how to deliver them locally and ensure there is adequate provision in their communities. The government is taking specific steps to ensure the delivery of quality care services that secure better outcomes whilst achieving value for money for the taxpayer; for example, investment in children’s residential care that includes creating 200 new placements in high-quality council-run children’s homes and powers through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to ensure financial oversight of the children’s care home market.

What assessment has been made of the potential impact of the lower rate of business rates retail, hospitality and leisure multipliers, revaluation, and transition arrangements on pubs, bars and restaurants.

The amount of business rates paid on each property is based on the rateable value of the property, assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and the multiplier values, which are set by the Government. Rateable values are re-assessed every three years. Revaluations ensure that the rateable values of properties (i.e. the tax base) remain in line with market changes, and that the tax rates adjust to reflect changes in the tax base. At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties, including those in the hospitality sector as they recover from the pandemic. To support with bill increases, at the Budget, the Government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years, including protection for ratepayers seeing their bills increase because of the revaluation. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down. This means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest. More broadly, the Government is delivering a long overdue reform to rebalance the business rates system and support the high street, as promised in our manifesto. The Government is doing this by introducing new permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties, including pubs. These new tax rates are worth nearly £900 million per year, and will benefit over 750,000 properties. The new RHL tax rates replace the temporary RHL relief that has been winding down since Covid. Unlike RHL relief, the new rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap, meaning all qualifying properties on high streets across England will benefit.

How much was spent on (a) taxis (b) buses (c) trains by her Department and its contractors for asylum seekers in it's care for each year from 2015 to date.

Transport services for asylum seekers are provided through our Asylum Accommodation & Support Contracts. We pay a fixed rate for transportation services which is set out in the contracts. Our suppliers must deliver transportation requirements in line with contractual standards and the fixed rate – with the type of transportation determined by our suppliers within this framework. Information on spend by specific transportation types is therefore not readily available.

Whether he has had recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on (a) the potential merits of prioritising British made vehicles through procurement and (b) holding accurate data on the number of British and non-British made vehicles procured across Government and its agencies.

This Government is committed to ensuring public procurement drives growth across the UK and supports British businesses. We have consulted on procurement reforms to further boost domestic supply chains and create more opportunities for businesses across the UK, including across the vehicle manufacturing sector. We will be publishing the consultation outcome - and legislative proposals - soon. Data on the number of British and non-British made vehicles procured across the Government and its agencies is not held centrally.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the level of commercial energy costs on Zoos in England, such as Chester and Blackpool Zoos.

Defra is responsible for the welfare and management of animals kept by zoos and aquariums, as well as the conservation work zoos and aquariums are required to undertake. However, we remain engaged on cross-cutting matters where relevant and the government is taking decisive action to protect and support businesses, facing difficulties with their energy costs, on multiple fronts.

What assessment has been made of the potential impact of coordinating place-based (a) Government funding and (b) philanthropic, institutional and private sector investment on regional growth.

Following a review of the Green Book, the government has announced the introduction of place-based business cases. This new approach will highlight the reinforcing effects of different investments within an area and better coordinate both public sector funding decisions and non-public sector investments in specific places to support growth. Liverpool, Plymouth, Port Talbot and Birmingham will be the first adopters of place-based business cases. The government will set out plans to rollout place-based business cases further in due course. More widely, Government is giving local leaders and communtiies the power and resources to make decisions for their places.

What assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential implications for Government policies of trends in the level of street clutter on the character of urban areas.

Management of local roads, including placement of fixed street furniture such as signs, benches, bins and cycle racks, is the responsibility of local traffic authorities. Neither good traffic management, nor good streetscape design is helped by over-provision and clutter. The Department’s good practice advice in the Traffic Signs Manual and the Manual for Streets stresses the importance of designing streets in such a way as to reduce clutter. These are available at the following links: www.gov.uk/government/publications/traffic-signs-manual www.gov.uk/government/publications/manual-for-streets.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with councils in the devolution priority programme areas on securing investment ahead of the delayed mayoral elections.

The English Devolution White Paper sets out how Local Growth Plans will galvanise action and investment, including through setting out a pipeline of investment opportunities for strategic authorities. Adopting a Local Growth Plan will be a duty conferred on combined authorities as soon as the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill receives Royal Assent, so we encourage all councils in the Devolution Priority Programme to use the guidance we’ve provided to develop their growth plans. In the interim period between the establishment of the Mayoral Strategic Authorities in the new year and inaugural mayoral elections, we will provide the authorities with a portion of their investment funds to ensure they can start delivering on key local priorities and deliver the benefits of devolution on the ground ahead of the Mayors taking office.

Media and Sport, how much funding her Department has provided to Irish cultural heritage groups in the last 12 months.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport recognises the importance of Irish Heritage, with funding administered through Arms-Length Bodies.Since November 2024, the National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded three grants totaling £290,074 to projects exploring the history and experiences of the Irish diaspora in Britain.A grant of £138,758 was awarded to the project St. Brigid’s Arms: Voices of Womxn of Irish Heritage in the North of England in Trafford in Greater Manchester from Emerald LENS CIC, which is exploring the stories and experience of womxn of Irish heritage in the north of England. A grant of £57,210 was awarded to Liverpool Irish Festival Resolve. This project will continue the Liverpool Irish Famine Trail heritage work by bringing compelling stories to audiences through innovative, accessible approaches as we approach the 180th anniversary of An Gorta Mór. A grant of £94,106 was awarded to the project Mix’n’Mortar: Plugging into Camden. This will go towards local audience development and co-programming for the world's first Museum of Youth Culture opening Spring 2026, which includes experiences of the Irish diaspora.

Whether the government has held discussions with Motability following the revision of vehicle brands supported by the scheme to prioritise British made vehicles and to report accurate data on the number of British and non-British made vehicles procured.

Motability Operations, an independent commercial company which delivers the Motability Scheme, has announced plans to support the government’s Modern Industrial Strategy. The number of British made vehicles purchased by the scheme will reach 25% by 2030, with an ambition of 50% of vehicles registered on the Scheme being made in the UK by 2035. The Department for Work and Pensions will continue to meet regularly with Motability Foundation, the independent charity with responsibility for overseeing the Scheme, to discuss the Schemes operation.

How many assaults on staff working in Job Centres were reported for each region for each year from 2015 to date.

The Department for Work and Pensions take any form of abuse and harassment (including violence-at-work incidents) of its staff very seriously. Robust controls are in place to mitigate the risk of unsafe interactions and eliminate violence-at-work as far as reasonably practicable, including security presence, risk assessments and training for our staff.We review outcomes of our most serious incidents and consider any lessons learned to make improvements to our processes and training when necessary to help prevent reoccurrence. DWP define assault as intentional physical contact which is directed at DWP or Partner employees (including Security Officers) in connection with working for DWP. Assaults range from minor to most serious. Actual assaults may include reports that resulted in no injury to those that result in major cuts and bruises. Prior to 2025, regional breakdowns are not held centrally, to provide this information would incur disproportionate cost, however we can provide the national annual breakdown of JC assaults from 2015 to 2024 and a breakdown of JC assaults by region for 2025. The following table provides the information requested for DWP reported assaults.YearNumber of AssaultsJan - Dec 2015233Jan - Dec 2016137Jan - Dec 2017238Jan - Dec 2018257Jan - Dec 2019145Jan - Dec 202065Jan - Dec 2021107Jan - Dec 2022183Jan - Dec 2023212Jan - Dec 2024314Jan - Nov 2025265 2025 assaults by regionGroup Name Central & West Scotland9Central Midlands13East & North Scotland5Eastern England17London62North East & Cumbria20North West27North York & Lincolnshire25South East17South West23Wales & the Marches10West Midlands35Not recorded to a Group Name2 265

Communities and Local Government, what assessment has been made of the adequacy of approaches to bringing empty residential properties back into use.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 80458 on 20 October 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the medium term viability of Thames Water.

Our current assessment is that the company remains stable. The Government will continue to work with the economic regulator of the water industry Ofwat to help support a market-led solution to the company’s issues of financial resilience and operational delivery, which is in the interests of customers and the environment. The Government has stepped up preparations and stands ready for all eventualities, including applying for a SAR if that were to become necessary.

Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending Asset of Community Value protections to local newspaper titles and community radio stations.

The Government is aware of the National Union of Journalists’ (NUJ) calls to confer Asset of Community Value status on local newspapers.We are committed to supporting local journalism and DCMS is developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of this vital sector. We are working across Government and with other stakeholders as the Strategy develops. While there is limited evidence to show that this proposal would have a substantial impact on the sustainability of local media, we have not yet ruled any options out for the Strategy as we continue to engage with stakeholders, including the NUJ.