Written questions by Morris.

What steps his Department plans to take to monitor participation in trade promotion programmes by SMEs in Hexham constituency.

I refer my hon. friend to the answer I provided to UIN 89172 on 18th November: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament

What discussions her Department has had with relevant stakeholders in Hexham constituency on legislative changes to recognise that under 16s can be victims of domestic abuse.

Teenage relationship abuse can have devastating consequences, and we must never shy away from the reality of the harm it causes.We are carrying out a scoping review of the legal framework for domestic abuse, which includes reviewing whether the age limit in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 should be changed to capture adolescent relationships. Alongside this, we are considering every option to tackle abuse in teenage relationships, including prevention and support for victims.We have greatly appreciated the support and engagement of a wide range of stakeholders nationally, including in the North East, as we take forward the important work to tackle this harm which affects too many young people.The upcoming VAWG Strategy will have more detail on the steps we are taking to respond to teenage relationship abuse.The Minister has met with campaigners on this subject in the Hon. Friend’s constituency of Hexham.

What steps the Department plans to take to monitor participation in trade promotion programmes by SMEs in the North East.

I refer my hon. friend to the answer I provided to UIN 89172 on 18th November: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament

What data her Department holds on the number of reported incidents of violence against women and girls against under 16 year- olds in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East, and (e) England.

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) covers a range of crimes, including rape and other sexual offences, stalking, harassment, domestic abuse related offences, and many others that disproportionately affect women and girls.It is important to note that VAWG is often a hidden crime. The figures provided below only reflect offences that come to the attention of the police and therefore do not represent the full extent of victimisation. For example, the ONS estimates that only 6.1% of victims of sexual assault (including attempts) in the year ending March 2025 told the police about the offence.Table 1 below provides the requested breakdown of VAWG offences, where held, recorded by the police using several offence classifications which are listed in Table 2.Data is available for Police Force Area (PFA) and Community Safety Partnership (CSP) Area geographies, which includesNorthumberland CSP AreaNewcastle upon Tyne CSP AreaThe North East region (made up of Northumbria, Durham, and Cleveland PFAs)England as a wholeInformation is not held centrally broken down by parliamentary constituencies.Table 1: Total offences across all VAWG offence classifications where the victim was under 16 years old, by geography, year ending June 2025 GeographyTotal VAWG offences against under 16-year-oldsRate per 1,000 under 16 population (mid-2024 estimate)Northumberland CSP68313.2Newcastle upon Tyne CSP5419.9North East5,93212.4England (excl. 4 PFAs)85,3458.8Source: Police recorded crime from the Home Office and ONS population estimatesNotes:Victim age data was not available in the Home Office Data Hub (HODH) for the following four forces and have been excluded from the England figures: Derbyshire, Greater Manchester, Humberside, Lincolnshire.Table 2: VAWG offence classifications used in analysisRape offences:19C Rape of a Female aged 16 and over19D Rape of a Female Child under 1619E Rape of a Female Child under 1319F Rape of a Male aged 16 and over19G Rape of a Male Child under 1619H Rape of a Male Child under 1319J Rape of a female - multiple undefined offenders19K Rape of a male - multiple undefined offendersOther sexual offences:17A Sexual Assault on a Male aged 13 and over17B Sexual Assault on a Male Child under 1320A Sexual Assault on a Female aged 13 or over20B Sexual Assault on a Female Child under 1321 Sexual Activity involving a Child under 1322A Causing Sexual Activity without Consent22B Sexual Activity involving a Child under 1623 Incest or Familial Sexual Offences70 Sexual Activity etc. with a Person with a Mental Disorder71 Abuse of Children through Sexual Exploitation73 Abuse of Position of Trust of a Sexual Nature88A Sexual Grooming88C Other Miscellaneous Sexual Offences88D Unnatural Sexual Offences88E Exposure and VoyeurismStalking and harassment:8L Harassment8Q Stalking8U Controlling or coercive behaviourMiscellaneous crimes:24 Exploitation of prostitution27 Soliciting for the purpose of prostitutionViolence against the person offences:36 Kidnapping and False Imprisonment: subcode 036/05 Forced Marriage8N Assault with injury: subcode 008/52 Excise, infibulate, aid, abet, counsel8N Assault with injury: subcode 008/68 Fail to protect girl from risk of genital mutilationNote:As well as the above specific offences classifications, VAWG also encompasses non-specific offences which have been flagged as VAWG-related. These include:Domestic abuse flagged offencesDomestic homicides‘Honour-based’ abuse (HBA) flagged offencesHowever, the definition of domestic abuse in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 requires both the victim and perpetrator are aged 16 years or above and so data on child victims are not included in the data provided.Forces are only required to submit aggregate level data on ‘honour-based’ abuse flagged offences, so information on victim ages are not available for all offences. However, any ‘honour-based’ abuse flagged offence recorded under the VAWG offence classifications in Table 2 (such as Forced Marriage) will already be captured in the figures provided.

What steps he is taking to ensure scientific evidence is used to support net zero policies.

Our approach is founded on the bedrock of the best scientific evidence which says clearly that ambitious action to reduce emissions is essential to limiting global warming and protecting lives and livelihoods. That is why we supported the decision of Theresa May to put net zero by 2050 into law in 2019, a decision which is not simply right for climate but good for jobs and energy security.

What data her Department holds on the number of electric vehicles currently registered in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East and (e) England.

At the end of June 2025, the number of licensed vehicles that were battery electric was 3,313 in Newcastle, 5,220 in Northumberland, 35,438 in the North East and 1,464,860 in England. We do not readily hold the respective figure for Hexham constituency. It is important to note, vehicles are allocated to geographic location according to the postcode of the registered keeper. The address does not necessarily reflect where the vehicle is located. This is especially true for large fleets kept by companies involved with vehicle management, leasing or rentals.

What steps her Department is taking to improve access to electric vehicle charging facilities in the North East.

The Government is committed to accelerating the roll-out of affordable and accessible charging infrastructure so that everyone, no matter where they live or work, can make the transition to an electric vehicle (EV). Public chargepoint numbers are increasing and, as of 1 November 2025, Government and industry have supported the installation of 86,798 publicly available charging devices, up 22% on this time last year.The North East region was allocated over £25m through the Government’s Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund to leverage significant private investment and increase the number of local public chargepoints across the region.The £25 million EV Pavement Channel Grant is also available, which is intended to empower local authorities to adopt pavement channels as part of their local charging solutions. The North East was allocated over £1.6m to support the installation of pavement channels alongside public chargepoints.

What data her Department holds on the number of electric charging points in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East and (e) England.

The below table presents the number of public charging devices as of 1st October 2025 in Hexham constituency, Northumberland, Newcastle upon Tyne, the North East, and England. AreaNumber of public charging devices, 1st October 2025Hexham constituency237Northumberland611Newcastle upon Tyne277North East2,698England74,115

What discussions her Department has had with relevant stakeholders on improving step- free access at train stations in Hexham constituency.

Several stations in the Hexham constituency have a degree of step free access, but this often involves use of level crossings, steep ramps or long walking routes between platforms and this is far from ideal.No stations in the constituency were put forward for accessibility upgrades during the latest round of Access for All funding nominations in 2022, meaning they were not considered by the previous Government.Nominations for future rounds of Access for All funding will benefit from strong industry support and a proportion of third-party match funding, helping to ensure that investment delivers the greatest benefit to passengers. In the meantime, if any passengers are unable to use a particular station train operators are obliged to provide alternative accessible transport at no additional cost.

What discussions her Department has had with relevant stakeholders on improving step- free access at train stations in Northumberland.

The Department continues to work closely with Network Rail, train operators and local authorities to improve step-free access at stations in Northumberland. For example all of the Northumberland Line’s new stations have been designed to be fully accessible. A number of stations in Northumberland have also benefitted from funding under the Access for All programme, including Morpeth and Alnmouth railway stations.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the demand for housing in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland and (c) Newcastle.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 includes a new Standard Method for assessing housing needs that is aligned to our Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5 million new safe and decent homes in England by the end of this Parliament. Indicative local housing need figures both for local authorities and regions under the revised standard method can be found on gov.uk here. Indicative figures have not been provided for Hexham constituency, as it falls under Northumberland County Council. The standard method is used by local authorities to inform the preparation of their local plans. Once local housing need has been assessed, authorities should then make an assessment of the number of new homes that can be provided in their area. This should be justified by evidence on land availability, constraints on development, such as National Landscapes and areas at risk of flooding, and any other relevant matters. The approach taken is then tested by the Planning Inspector during the examination of the Local Plan.

What discussions her Department has had with relevant stakeholders on improving step- free access for train stations in the North East.

The Department continues to work closely with Network Rail, train operators and local authorities to improve step-free access at stations across the North East. For example, the Transpennine Route Upgrade will provide step free access at 22 stations. A number of stations in the region have been made accessible with funding from the Access for All programme, including Northallerton and Middlesborough railway stations.

What data his Department holds on how much and what proportion of wind power investment is directed into (a) domestic and (b) international supply chains.

The Offshore Wind Regional Growth Prospectuses set out a range of current manufacturing and services capabilities in the UK, as well as growth opportunities, including in blade, foundation and cable manufacture; secondary steel components; cable installation; operations and maintenance activity; and environmental services. New facilities in development include cable manufacturing in Nigg and Blyth, and monopile construction in Teesside. Data collected via the Onshore Wind Taskforce indicates that UK content in domestic onshore windfarms can be between 50 and 70 percent, with high shares of jobs and investment in development, operations and maintenance, civil engineering and electrical works. As set out in the Modern Industrial Strategy, DESNZ is working with industry to explore new metrics by the end of 2025 to determine the health and success of the supply chain.

What discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on supporting people to use electric vehicles.

Officials from the Department for Transport regularly engage with the Department for Infrastructure on initiatives to support the use of zero emission vehicles (ZEV). Minister Lightwood met the Northern Ireland Minister for Infrastructure in April during the British Irish Council meeting, and the Secretary of State met with the Northern Ireland Minister for Infrastructure earlier this month [November] as part of the Interministerial Group for Transport. Both meetings included discussions on the ZEV transition.

If he will publish the number of service family accommodation by (a) region, (b) local authority, and (c) Westminster constituency.

Documents reflecting the number of Service Family Accommodation by region, local authority, and Westminster constituency are attached. Data has been sourced from Northgate and is accurate as at 1 November 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Community Ownership Fund on Hexham constituency.

Looking ahead the Department commissioned an evaluation of the Community Ownership Fund in May 2023 to measure the social and economic impacts of different kinds of asset ownership, and will conclude in March 2026. Interim findings will be published in the coming months highlighting the impact of the funding. A final report will be published in Spring 2026.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Community Ownership Fund on rural areas.

Looking ahead the Department commissioned an evaluation of the Community Ownership Fund in May 2023 to measure the social and economic impacts of different kinds of asset ownership, and will conclude in March 2026. Interim findings will be published in the coming months highlighting the impact of the funding. A final report will be published in Spring 2026.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Community Ownership Fund on the North East.

Looking ahead the Department commissioned an evaluation of the Community Ownership Fund in May 2023 to measure the social and economic impacts of different kinds of asset ownership, and will conclude in March 2026. Interim findings will be published in the coming months highlighting the impact of the funding. A final report will be published in Spring 2026.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussion she has had with consumer groups on the adequacy of veterinary services.

Defra has not conducted discussions directly with consumer groups on the adequacy of veterinary services. The Competition and Markets Authority is conducting a market investigation into the provision of veterinary services for household pets. Their Provisional Decision Report was published on 15 October and was open for consultation until 12 November. Defra will consider any remedies from their final report when it is published in Spring 2026.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to update the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 in response to the provisional recommendations of the CMA veterinary services for household pets investigation.

Defra has noted the CMA’s Provisional Decision Report and the recommendations it makes with regards to the veterinary sector, including reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 (VSA). Additionally, Defra acknowledges the calls from industry, other stakeholders, and the public to update the VSA and the many potential benefits of doing so. Defra officials have been actively engaging across all areas of potential reform with key stakeholders, including the CMA, British Veterinary Association (BVA), the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA), and the Vet Schools Council (VSC), to review opportunities for reform of the sector. When the CMA’s final report is published in Spring 2026, Defra will consider any remedies with regards to VSA reform.