Written questions by Robertson.

What recent discussions she has had with (a) organisations and (b) stakeholders on the creation of a criminal offence specifically targeting drink spiking.

The Government committed, in its manifesto, to create a new offence covering spiking. Our aim is to create a clear and modern offence that covers the wide range of behaviours currently associated with spiking, encourage victims to report such incidents and help the police respond effectively. In developing this new offence, included in the Crime and Policing Bill, the Government listened to the views of stakeholders, such as Spike Aware and Stamp Out Spiking, survivors and worked with other organisations, such as law enforcement and the Crown Prosecution Service.The Government has designed the new offence to capture all incidents of spiking, including drink spiking, and where the substance is administered by other methods, such as by needle, food, vape etc.Whilst every case will turn on its facts, if someone administers a harmful substance as a prank, they would likely be found to have intent to “injure, aggrieve or annoy” the other person. This offence is part of a package of measures designed to tackle spiking and ensure victims can receive justice.

What steps she is taking to ensure that victims of (a) spiking and (b) prank spiking have adequate access to justice.

The Government committed, in its manifesto, to create a new offence covering spiking. Our aim is to create a clear and modern offence that covers the wide range of behaviours currently associated with spiking, encourage victims to report such incidents and help the police respond effectively. In developing this new offence, included in the Crime and Policing Bill, the Government listened to the views of stakeholders, such as Spike Aware and Stamp Out Spiking, survivors and worked with other organisations, such as law enforcement and the Crown Prosecution Service.The Government has designed the new offence to capture all incidents of spiking, including drink spiking, and where the substance is administered by other methods, such as by needle, food, vape etc.Whilst every case will turn on its facts, if someone administers a harmful substance as a prank, they would likely be found to have intent to “injure, aggrieve or annoy” the other person. This offence is part of a package of measures designed to tackle spiking and ensure victims can receive justice.

What recent assessments her Department has made of trends in the number of spiking incidents.

Spiking is often underreported and this can make analysis of trends difficult.In order to improve our understanding of trends, from April 2026 offences which involve spiking will be added to the Home Office’s Annual Data Requirement. This is the formal mechanism through which the Home Office collects data from all police forces in England and Wales. This will ensure that the Home Office has access to formal, standardised and regular reporting from the police on offences involving spiking.

What (a) stakeholders, (b) NGOs and (c) interest groups have been consulted on the NHS 10-Year Plan by (i) his Department and (ii) NHS England since 4 July 2024.

Throughout the 10-Year Health Plan’s engagement activity, we have engaged with over 1,600 stakeholders, non-governmental organisations, and patient groups to hear their ideas for change. Following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will publish a list of organisations that made a submission to the Change NHS engagement portal, and the organisations that were members of the 10-Year Health Plan Partners Council.

What steps she is taking to improve coordination between (a) healthcare providers and (b) law enforcement in responding to suspected spiking incidents.

It is crucial that all organisations that may be involved in supporting victims of spiking and collecting evidence (including those in the healthcare, hospitality and education sectors) do so in a joined-up way.The Home Office is currently working with the police-led National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection (NCVPP) to assess options for schemes that promote a greater joining up between the police and other stakeholders on the collection of evidence samples from victims.

What training is provided to frontline police officers to improve the (a) identification and (b) handling of spiking cases.

The Government have introduced through the Crime and Policing Bill a new criminal offence for spiking, to help police better respond to this crime.The Home Office has funded specialist spiking training for staff in the hospitality industry to ensure they have the skills to better detect spiking incidents, support victims who have been spiked and support law enforcement with evidence collection.The Home Office is currently working with the police-led National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection (NCVPP) on the development of police guidance across a range of VAWG crimes, including spiking.

With reference to the NHS10-Year Health Plan whether discussions have been held with (a) higher socio-economic groups and (b) working people.

We launched the Change NHS website to ensure that as many people as possible could have their say. As part of this, we asked participants to provide demographic information to help us hear from a representative cross-section of the public across the engagement as a whole. In tandem, we launched two nationally representative surveys, mirroring the Change NHS website content, to enable us to sense check against the insights from online participants.At our public deliberative events, we used two channels to recruit the 755 participants to ensure the attendees were representative of the region the event was in. Firstly, two-thirds of the sample were recruited through Sortition, a method of selection designed to be representative of the population with respect to age, gender, ethnicity, location, disability, highest level of education attainment, and by index of multiple deprivation. Secondly, one third of the sample was recruited through specialist recruiters to boost audiences who are typically seldom heard in engagement. This included participants living in the 20% most deprived areas of England and those from ethnic minority backgrounds. We also held deliberative events with health and social care staff.

If he will list each foreign language where there has been (a) translation and (b) interpretation to facilitate engagement with the proposed NHS 10-Year Health Plan.

The Change NHS portal was available in English, Urdu, Romanian, Punjabi, and Polish, as these are the five most common languages in England, as reported by the 2021 Census. Participants at 10-Year Health Plan deliberative engagement events were given the option to request translation into any other language.

Whether his Department has held discussions with (a) foreign migrants and (b) asylum seekers on the proposed NHS 10-Year Plan.

In building our 10-Year Health Plan, we ran one of the biggest public engagement exercises the National Health Service has ever run, including a large number of consultation events including eight in-person deliberative events with the public and seven with staff, culminating in a national summit, these events were attended by over 3,700 people. A further 17,000 people attended partner-led workshops across over 600 events. As part of these events, we aimed to include the voices of all patients, including patients whose voices are seldom heard in policy development.

Whether his Department has had discussions with sex workers on the proposed NHS 10-Year Health Plan.

In building our 10-Year Health Plan, we ran one of the biggest public engagement exercises the National Health Service has ever run, including a large number of consultation events including eight in-person deliberative events with the public and seven with staff, culminating in a national summit, these events were attended by over 3,700 people. A further 17,000 people attended partner-led workshops across over 600 events. As part of these events, we aimed to include the voices of all patients, including patients whose voices are seldom heard in policy development.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 44040 on Packaging: Recycling and with reference to his Department's guidance entitled Simpler recycling: workplace recycling in England, updated on 21 May 2025, if he will clarify the circumstances in which the Environment Agency will issue fines for contaminated recyclable waste; and whether the level of a fine to a business will be affected by previous fines issued.

All compliance and enforcement activities are conducted in line with the Regulator’s Code and the Environment Agency’s Enforcement and Sanction Policy to ensure a proportionate, risk-based approach. When contamination of workplace recyclables is suspected, the Environment Agency’s initial intervention is usually is to provide advice and guidance, as set out in Simpler recycling: workplace recycling in England guidance updated on 21 May 2025. The Environment Agency does not possess powers to issue on the spot fines or fixed penalty notices and financial sanctions arise only via prosecution. Formal action, such as serving a compliance notice, however, is only likely to occur if advice and guidance is ignored. The level of any fine will not be adjusted on the basis of previous fines issued, as sentencing follows standard judicial criteria including the seriousness of the offence and culpability of the offender. The Government remains committed to supporting businesses in meeting their recycling obligations whilst safeguarding the quality of recyclable materials.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with relevant stakeholders on the requirement for schools to serve (a) meat and (b) dairy products to children.

The Secretary of State has had no discussions with stakeholders on the requirements for schools to serve meat and dairy products to children, which is a matter for the Department for Education together with the Department of Health and Social Care. To ensure quality and nutrition in meals for the future, the Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care are acting quickly with experts across the sector to revise the school food standards, so every school is supported with the latest nutrition guidance.

Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 57180 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Internet, if she will publish her Department's Acceptable Use policy.

I will deposit a copy in the House library.

Food and Rural Affairs, how much has been spent on the Hello Lamp Post community engagement project (a) since January 2024, (b) by financial year and (c) by delivery phase.

The Government recognises the value of engaging with citizens to collect and share the latest scientific data about the environment. The Environment Agency (EA) has joined forces with Hello Lamp Post to enable residents and visitors of communities across England to interact with them about key environmental issues and risks.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will set out the procurement mechanism used by the Environment Agency to award the contract for the Environment Agency Community Engagement Platform (National) 2024 to Hello Lamp Post Limited; and if he will publish the procurement agreement.

The contract is available on contracts finder via Environment Agency Community Engagement Platform (National) 2024 - Contracts Finder.

Whether DVLA-registered mopeds can be lent to drivers with provisional licenses.

There is no requirement for the rider of a moped to be the registered keeper of the vehicle, whether they hold a provisional or full driving licence. Anyone riding or driving any vehicle must have the appropriate driving entitlement and must be insured for the purpose for which the vehicle is being used.

Which regulations govern the use of (a) motorcycles and (b) mopeds with L-plates for commercial delivery work in urban areas; and whether she plans to amend those regulations.

There are no current rules limiting commercial riding to those with a full licence. New riders are allowed to ride learner legal motorcycles, mopeds and scooters once they have passed their compulsory basic training (CBT) course. If riders do not to progress to a full licence within the two-year validity period of the CBT certificate, then they are required to complete their CBT course again. All riders are required to have a valid insurance policy to cover the type of machine and the activity they are undertaking.

What data her Department holds on the proportion of learners who pass a full category (a) AM and (b) A motorcycle test after completing compulsory basic training on a moped in the last five years.

All riders who want to take a practical motorcycle test must hold a valid compulsory basic training (CBT) certificate. The type of licence held by the rider and the machine used for the training course is noted on the CBT certificate issued to the rider. The information on the proportion of learners who pass a full category (a) AM and (b) A motorcycle test after completing compulsory basic training on a moped is not recorded or held by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).The attached Excel document shows the number of module two motorcycle tests that have been conducted in categories A, A1, A2 and Moped AM for the last five financial years. DVSA can currently only publish the data included in the attached Excel document up to the end of September 2024.

Whether (a) her Department and (b) the Metropolitan Police have made an assessment of trends in the level of mopeds with L-plates being used in criminal activities in London.

The Home Office holds data on the number of incidents of crime recorded by the police in London.The Home Office does not hold data on whether a vehicle was used as part of the incident, the type of vehicle used, or whether the vehicle had an L plate fitted at the time of the incident.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the findings in the report by Robert Gordon University entitled Striking the Balance: Building a Sustainable UK Offshore Energy Workforce, published in June 2025.

The Government has noted the report from Robert Gordon University, which provides helpful analysis on the future of the UK’s offshore energy sector. As Britain becomes a clean energy superpower, the Government is determined to create high-quality jobs to ensure a phased and responsible transition in the North Sea. This is vital for delivering the best outcomes for workers and communities, energy security, and sustainable economic growth. DESNZ will publish our Clean Energy Workforce Strategy this summer. It will set out how we intend to grow and support the talent pipeline for Clean Power 2030 and net zero by 2050.