Written questions by Reynolds.

How many and what proportion of telephone calls to HM Revenue and Customs were answered in (a) 2015 and (b) 2016.

HMRC’s published historic data series includes figures for 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17. This data sets out the number of telephony contacts and the percentage of total call attempts handled by HMRC Contact Centres. These figures, along with the length of time which callers waited before ending their call without speaking to an adviser, are set out in the table below: Telephony2014-152015-162016-17Contacts 64,781,97860,804,09249,865,940% of total call attempts handled by Contact Centres71.971.691.7Average length of time that callers to HMRC waited before ending their call without speaking to an adviser (minutes and seconds)10:1814:336:53 The percentage of total call attempts handled by contact centres includes calls handled by an adviser and calls where the query was resolved without speaking to an adviser, for example, after listening to a recorded informational message. HMRC’s telephone service standard is to answer 85 per cent of phone calls to advisers. This has been the primary telephony target since 2022-23, and there is published performance against this metric since 2020-21, which can be found in HMRC’s historic data series on Gov.uk. A target of 85 per cent of adviser attempts handled was reviewed and confirmed as part of HMRC's funding settlement at the Spending Review in June 2025. HMRC has not made an assessment of the additional level of funding that would be required to enable HMRC to answer all telephone calls. The target of answering 85 per cent of calls to advisers, which was agreed at the Spending Review in June 2025, strikes the necessary balance between delivering a good service and providing value for money to taxpayers.

How many telephone calls were received by HM Revenue and Customs in (a) 2015 and (b) 2016.

HMRC’s published historic data series includes figures for 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17. This data sets out the number of telephony contacts and the percentage of total call attempts handled by HMRC Contact Centres. These figures, along with the length of time which callers waited before ending their call without speaking to an adviser, are set out in the table below: Telephony2014-152015-162016-17Contacts 64,781,97860,804,09249,865,940% of total call attempts handled by Contact Centres71.971.691.7Average length of time that callers to HMRC waited before ending their call without speaking to an adviser (minutes and seconds)10:1814:336:53 The percentage of total call attempts handled by contact centres includes calls handled by an adviser and calls where the query was resolved without speaking to an adviser, for example, after listening to a recorded informational message. HMRC’s telephone service standard is to answer 85 per cent of phone calls to advisers. This has been the primary telephony target since 2022-23, and there is published performance against this metric since 2020-21, which can be found in HMRC’s historic data series on Gov.uk. A target of 85 per cent of adviser attempts handled was reviewed and confirmed as part of HMRC's funding settlement at the Spending Review in June 2025. HMRC has not made an assessment of the additional level of funding that would be required to enable HMRC to answer all telephone calls. The target of answering 85 per cent of calls to advisers, which was agreed at the Spending Review in June 2025, strikes the necessary balance between delivering a good service and providing value for money to taxpayers.

What recent steps her Department has taken to ensure local authorities have sufficient resources to repair and maintain residential roads; and what steps she plans to take to improve the long-term funding settlement available for tackling potholes and surface deterioration.

The Government takes the condition of our country’s roads very seriously and is committed to supporting local authorities in maintaining and renewing the local highway network. This Government has made a record investment of almost £1.6 billion for local road maintenance this financial year, a £500 million increase compared to 2024/25. Building on this, we will provide £24 billion of capital funding between 2026-27 and 2029-30 to maintain and improve our motorways and local roads across the country. This funding increase will allow National Highways and local authorities to invest in significantly improving the long-term condition of England’s road network.

Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will take steps to help ensure that staffing levels of lock keepers and river infrastructure on the non‑tidal River Thames are sufficient to guarantee public and operator safety.

Ensuring public and operator safety on the non-tidal River Thames is a priority for the Environment Agency (EA). The EA is investing in additional lock and weir resource.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of midwifery recruitment freezes on maternal health outcomes in England; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce staffing shortages in maternity services in areas where (a) hospital access times are longer and (b) home birth provision has declined.

The Government is committed to tackling the retention and recruitment challenges that face the National Health Service.NHS England is leading a range of initiatives to boost the retention of existing staff. This includes building a compassionate and inclusive culture, supporting staff wellbeing, and promoting flexible working opportunities.On 11 August, we announced the Graduate Guarantee for nurses and midwives. The Graduate Guarantee will ensure that there are enough positions for every newly qualified midwife in England. The package of measures will unlock thousands of jobs and will ensure thousands of new posts are easier to access by removing barriers for NHS trusts, creating opportunities for graduates and ensuring a seamless transition from training to employment.Vacant maternity support worker posts will be temporarily converted to band 5 midwifery roles, backed by £8 million to create new opportunities specifically for newly qualified midwives and to further ease the recruitment strain.These new measures aim to tackle graduates’ concerns about job availability and ensure the NHS has the right staff to provide the best possible care to patients everywhere.Targeted retention work for midwives is being undertaken by NHS England, led by the Chief Nursing Officer for England. This work contains a range of measures, including creation of a midwifery and nursing retention self-assessment tool, mentoring schemes, strengthened advice and support on pensions, and embedding flexible retirement options. NHS England has also invested in unit-based retention leads which, alongside investment in workforce capacity, has seen a reduction in vacancy, leaver and turnover rates.There are four nationally run programmes to develop midwifery staff, at bands 6 and above, from ethnic minority groups to better support patients, in addition to local initiatives to better reflect the community of the women and babies they support.Responsibility for the delivery, implementation and funding decisions for services ultimately rests with the appropriate NHS commissioner. This includes waiting times and homebirth provisions.NHS commissioners are expected to develop clear plans for reverting temporary service changes or developing plans for the permanent reconfiguration of the service. All service changes should be based on clear evidence that they will deliver better outcomes for patients.

What her timetable is for ending the operations of organised people smuggling gangs; and how she will measure progress towards this goal under the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill.

The Border Security Command (BSC) continues to focus on tackling the organised immigration crime gangs that are facilitating small boat crossings, working with domestic partners such as the National Crime Agency, and overseas counterparts in a range of countries, to dismantle the gangs and disrupt their supply chains. This work has already led to a number of widely publicised raids and arrests, as well as agreements with France, Germany, Italy, Iraq and other key partners which will increase enforcement activity and cooperation further over the coming months.The BSC is working closely with delivery partners who tackle organised immigration crime across Whitehall, collecting key data across the system such as organised immigration crime disruptions, with the ambition to track long-term impact and support the delivery of operational activity. This will support the BSC’s ability to drive cohesive delivery across the system and ensure a secure and effective border. Working collaboratively in this way will allow us to increase the number of OIC groups which we break up and subsequently reduce small boat crossings. These numbers will be monitored to ensure we make changes to our approach when neededIn November last year the Prime Minister announced an additional £58m to the Agency’s core budget in 2025/26 to support NCA’s disruptions of serious and organised crime. This represents an increase of 9% from their 2024/25 core budget.On 11 June 2025, the Chancellor announced up to £280 million per year for the Border Security Command by the end of the spending review period in 2028-2029. We have boosted the NCA’s capacity to tackle organised immigration crime by funding 100 new specialist officers, bringing the total dedicated Full Time Employees close to 500.This summer, the Home Office announced a £100 million funding injection to further strengthen existing law enforcement operations. The funding will pay for up to 300 extra National Crime Agency officers (NCA), state-of-the art detection technology and new equipment to smash the networks putting lives at risk in the Channel.We have also signed a landmark agreement with France to prevent dangerous small boat crossings. This agreement means that anyone entering the UK on a small boat can be detained on arrival and returned to France by the UK government. The aim is to test the deterrent effect to prevent dangerous journeys by demonstrating that small boat crossings are not a viable way to enter and remain in the UK and to disrupt the organised immigration crime gangs.Ensuring we have the right legislation in place to take robust, meaningful action to address these challenges is crucial. With this in mind, the UK’s Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, currently going through Parliament, creates new powers for law enforcement through new criminal offences, expanded data-sharing capabilities and an improved intelligence picture to identify, intercept, disrupt and prevent serious and organised crime.Once the Bill has received Royal Assent the Home Office will report progress in the usual way. In addition, the Bill requires the Border Security Commander to produce an annual report which will be laid before Parliament ahead of publication. The report will include the implementation and delivery of measures contained within the Bill.

What steps his Department is taking to strengthen the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards for properties; and what discussions he has had with (a) industry stakeholders and (b) property owners to help ensure successful delivery.

Department officials have worked closely with industry on the implementation and design of the policy to ensure the policy is fair and proportionate for landlords and tenants alike. This includes multiple workshops this year with these stakeholders to update the policy to significantly reduce complexity and administrative burdens.

What steps is she taking to dismantle organised people smuggling gangs; and how recent (a) legislative and (b) operational measures will (i) improve border security and (ii) protect vulnerable individuals from exploitation.

The Border Security Command (BSC) continues to focus on tackling the organised immigration crime gangs that are facilitating small boat crossings, working with domestic partners such as the National Crime Agency, and overseas counterparts in a range of countries, to dismantle the gangs and disrupt their supply chains. This work has already led to a number of widely publicised raids and arrests, as well as agreements with France, Germany, Italy, Iraq and other key partners which will increase enforcement activity and cooperation further over the coming months.The BSC is working closely with delivery partners who tackle organised immigration crime across Whitehall, collecting key data across the system such as organised immigration crime disruptions, with the ambition to track long-term impact and support the delivery of operational activity. This will support the BSC’s ability to drive cohesive delivery across the system and ensure a secure and effective border. Working collaboratively in this way will allow us to increase the number of OIC groups which we break up and subsequently reduce small boat crossings. These numbers will be monitored to ensure we make changes to our approach when neededIn November last year the Prime Minister announced an additional £58m to the Agency’s core budget in 2025/26 to support NCA’s disruptions of serious and organised crime. This represents an increase of 9% from their 2024/25 core budget.On 11 June 2025, the Chancellor announced up to £280 million per year for the Border Security Command by the end of the spending review period in 2028-2029. We have boosted the NCA’s capacity to tackle organised immigration crime by funding 100 new specialist officers, bringing the total dedicated Full Time Employees close to 500.This summer, the Home Office announced a £100 million funding injection to further strengthen existing law enforcement operations. The funding will pay for up to 300 extra National Crime Agency officers (NCA), state-of-the art detection technology and new equipment to smash the networks putting lives at risk in the Channel.We have also signed a landmark agreement with France to prevent dangerous small boat crossings. This agreement means that anyone entering the UK on a small boat can be detained on arrival and returned to France by the UK government. The aim is to test the deterrent effect to prevent dangerous journeys by demonstrating that small boat crossings are not a viable way to enter and remain in the UK and to disrupt the organised immigration crime gangs.Ensuring we have the right legislation in place to take robust, meaningful action to address these challenges is crucial. With this in mind, the UK’s Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, currently going through Parliament, creates new powers for law enforcement through new criminal offences, expanded data-sharing capabilities and an improved intelligence picture to identify, intercept, disrupt and prevent serious and organised crime.Once the Bill has received Royal Assent the Home Office will report progress in the usual way. In addition, the Bill requires the Border Security Commander to produce an annual report which will be laid before Parliament ahead of publication. The report will include the implementation and delivery of measures contained within the Bill.

What assessment the Government has made of the potential impact of large businesses repaying SME invoices 60 or 90 days after receipt of the invoice on levels of interruption to SME cashflow.

On 31st July DBT published new research showing that late payments cost the UK economy £11bn per year and closes down 38 UK businesses every day, with a disproportionate impact upon small businesses.Government is putting in place the most significant legislation to tackle late payments in over 25 years, giving the UK the strongest legal framework on late payments in the G7. The consultation on stronger new legislative measures to ensure small businesses are paid promptly closes on 23 October.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a diplomatic humanitarian convoy to facilitate the delivery of aid through the Rafah Crossing; and what recent discussions he has had with his Egyptian counterpart on diplomatic escorts for humanitarian aid to Gaza.

The political and security conditions in Gaza are not currently suitable for the deployment of diplomatic convoys and escorts. Israel must allow the full range of humanitarian relief supplies to enter and be distributed within Gaza via all crossings and routes, and the Israel Defense Force (IDF) must ensure their safe passage.

What steps the Government plans to take to ensure that all members of the Trans and Intersex communities have access to (a) safe and (b) gender affirming (i) bathrooms, (ii) changing rooms and (iii) refuges; and that when using those facilities they are free from harassment.

Trans and intersex people deserve dignity and respect. Protections remain in place for them to live free from discrimination and harassment. Regarding service provision, we want everyone to be able to access services that meet their needs whilst protecting their privacy and safety. The EHRC’s updated Code of Practice will provide guidance to providers, and we are considering their draft.

What his planned timeline is for publishing a Government response to the Hughes Report, published on 7 February 2024.

The Government is carefully considering the work by the Patient Safety Commissioner and her Report, which set out options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. This is a complex issue involving input from different Government Departments. The Government will provide a further update to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s Report.

Innovation and Technology, if his Department will take steps to ensure that (a) X and (b) other social media platforms prevent their artificial intelligence systems from promoting (i) racist and (ii) anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.

The Online Safety Act’s illegal content duties took effect on 17 March. These duties require user-to-user and search services to implement robust measures designed to reduce the risks that users encounter illegal content and activity, including from illegal anti-Semitic content.These duties apply to AI generated content in the same way as ‘real’ content - i.e. where it is shared on an in-scope service and is either illegal content or content which is harmful to children. Ofcom is responsible for taking enforcement action as appropriate and has published recommendations for how providers should fulfil their duties in codes of practice.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the reinstatement of UK-issued pet passports for travel to EU member states; and what his planned timeline is for implementation of those passports.

As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area. This will mean taking pets on holiday into the EU will be easier and cheaper. Instead of needing an animal health certificate each time you travel, you will be able to get a multiuse pet passport valid for travel to the EU. With the principles and framework of a deal agreed, the Government will now need to negotiate the detail of an agreement. Our aim is to start the detailed negotiations as soon as possible, and Defra will provide more information on pet passports valid for travel to the EU in due course.

What steps his Department is taking to expand access to degree apprenticeships in midwifery for (a) mature students, (b) career changers and (c) other people who face (i) financial and (ii) practical barriers to undertaking traditional university training routes.

We will publish a new workforce plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and will treat patients on time again. This will include how we ensure we train healthcare staff, through all training routes including apprenticeships, to support patients in all of our communities.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has had discussions with (a) EU member states and (b) (i) VFS Global and (ii) other third-party visa service providers on improving the (A) accessibility, (B) transparency and (C) efficiency of the Schengen visa application process for UK residents; and whether his Department is taking steps with relevant stakeholders to help ensure that applicants receive (1) timely communication and (2) clear recourse when experiencing (a) delays and (b) lack of response.

The Government regularly uses its diplomatic channels to facilitate conversations between the UK, the EU and EU Member States on issues impacting British Citizens overseas.Non-British Citizens experiencing difficulties applying for EU entry visas should approach the relevant Embassy or High Commission for advice on what assistance their governments can provide.More information on Schengen visa processes can be found on the website of the country to which an application is being made.

With reference to the Spending Review 2025, published on 11 June 2025, how much additional funding her Department plans to spend on transport projects for Maidenhead; and what those projects are.

We are yet to announce the local authority allocations for the majority of the transport funding announced in the Spending Review. This will be announced in due course. We have informed Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council of their allocation of the Local Transport Grant which is £7.336 million for the period from April 2026 to April 2030 for local transport improvements.

What steps his Department is taking to raise public awareness of the symptoms of chronic urinary tract infections.

The National Health Service provides information on the symptoms of urinary tract infections (UTIs), including chronic UTIs, at the following link:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/urinary-tract-infections-utis/The Department currently has no plans to raise public awareness of the symptoms of chronic UTIs. However, the Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), is funding research to improve the diagnosis and treatment of UTIs, including chronic UTIs. This research includes the development of antimicrobial-impregnated catheters to reduce episodes of catheter-associated UTIs as well as the TOUCAN study, with further information available at the following link:https://www.phctrials.ox.ac.uk/recruiting-trials/toucan-platform-for-uti-diagnostic-evaluationThis study is evaluating rapid point of care UTI diagnostic tests in general practice surgeries that not only enable faster detection of UTIs but also provide real-time information on antibiotic resistance, ensuring patients receive the correct treatment.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of guidance from the Highway Authority and Utilities Committee that utilities beneath tram tracks must be diverted under the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 on the cost of light rail schemes; and whether her Department is taking steps to (a) review the cost-allocation model for utility diversions and (b) review the requirement to move utilities in this way.

My Department works closely with the Highway Authorities and Utilities Committee (HAUC(UK)) - which brings together highway authorities, utilities and government with the aim of working safely and smartly to reduce the impact of street and road works on members of the public throughout the UK. The Highway Authorities and Utilities Committee is currently reviewing the Diversionary Works Code of Practice with my officials. There are currently no plans to review the regulations for cost allocation. The New Road and Street Works Act 1991 (NRSWA) balances the statutory rights of highway authorities and undertakers to carry out works with the need to minimise the disruption caused by these works. Financial incentives play an important role in ensuring compliance with requirements. There is a risk that by removing safeguards when utilities work on tram routes, reinstatements may not be fit for purpose, resulting in damage and possible safety issues that the tram company operator or local highway authority would then need to resolve.

Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to green belt protections on (a) biodiversity, (b) access to green space and (c) the long-term preservation of rural character in Cookham.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework was published on 12 December 2024, following extensive consultation, including with local planning authorities.I otherwise refer the hon. Members to the answers given to questions UIN 26508 on 5 February 2025, UIN 29375 on 18 February 2025, UIN 40156 on 26 March 2025 and UIN 43157 on 7 April 2025.