Written questions by Buckley.

Whether there are plans to allow the electronic transfer of GP records when people move from Wales to England.

Awaiting answer.

What steps her Department is taking under GBR to increase cross border rail connections, such as the Wrexham-Shropshire-Midlands Railway.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation

How competition regulations on state aid are applied by the Office of Rail and Road when assessing applications for Open Access rail services; and what changes are expected following the ORR's move into her Department.

Under the current framework, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is responsible for making access decisions in line with its statutory duties. Moving forward, this will change as Great British Railways takes over responsibility for managing access to the network and ORR takes on a new role to hold GBR to account and ensure fairness and transparency for all operators. ORR will not, however, become part of the Department for Transport – it will remain independent. All public bodies, including ORR and the future GBR, are obliged to comply with subsidy control and competition legislation across all of their activities, and this will remain the case.

Which English counties do not have a direct train link to London; and whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the lack of such links on those counties.

The only English county that does not have a direct train service from London is Shropshire.The department requires its operators to plan services and rail timetables that are designed to meet expected passenger demand and provide value for money for the taxpayer.  Looking ahead to GBR, this offers us the opportunity to go further with optimising train services and driving up utilisation. Through GBR’s directing mind function, services and timetables will be developed in a coherent fashion that drives up network performance and improves the journey experience.

Of the £21 billion of new local transport funding announced across the Comprehensive Spending Review period, how much funding is allocated to (a) Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities, (b) Mayoral Strategic Authorities, and (c) local councils not within a combined authority.

Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities will receive c£7.7bn of transport funding through their integrated settlement over the Spending Review period from 2026/27 to 2029/30 (to 2028/29 for Resource Funding). Mayoral Strategic Authorities with a mayor in place will receive c£4bn of transport funding through the Mayoral Transport Fund over the same period. All other local transport authorities will receive c£9.6bn of local transport funding over the Spending Review period, via the Integrated Transport Fund and Bus Services Fund. This includes c£1.2bn for Foundation Strategic Authorities (combined authorities without an elected mayor) and c£2.9bn for local authorities that are part of the Devolution Priority Programme and are due to be established as Mayoral Transport Authorities.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department intends to bring section 42 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 into force.

The Government is committed to addressing the longstanding issues with private sewerage. Government recognises that current arrangements of sewer adoption need review. We have recently consulted on the adoption of shared amenities, including SuDS and sewers, and are now considering next steps. As part of this, we will consider whether section 42 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 should be brought into force.

Innovation and Technology, whether her Department is taking steps to develop a single national fibre broadband coverage map that identifies gaps in connectivity.

The Government recognises the importance of fast and reliable broadband connectivity across the UK and is committed to identifying and addressing gaps in coverage, in line with our ambition to achieve 99% gigabit broadband coverage by 2032.Ofcom is responsible for collecting data and reporting on broadband coverage at national, regional, and local levels. This information is already publicly available through their Connected Nations reports and interactive tool, which illustrates via heat maps coverage in nations, local authorities, and constituencies. For consumers, Ofcom also provides a broadband availability address checker.Building Digital UK (BDUK) uses Open Market Reviews to collect and analyse data from suppliers, to identify which premises are likely to require public subsidy to receive a gigabit-capable connection and uses this information to support delivery of Project Gigabit. The raw data is published by BDUK, with the latest release in January 2026: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/september-2025-omr-and-premises-in-bduk-plans-england-and-wales.Some third-party websites use the data published by BDUK to produce their own publicly available coverage maps.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of reforming Bona Vacantia arrangements to permit local authorities to take ownership of unclaimed residential properties for public use.

The revenue from the collection of bona vacantia, including that from the open market sales of any residential property, is transferred annually to the Consolidated Fund for the general funding of HM Government expenditure for the general benefit of all citizens.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the arrangements for managing unclaimed estates and properties under Bona Vacantia.

The collection and disposal of bona vacantia monies arising from the estates of deceased people & dissolved companies is managed by the Treasury Solicitor as the Crown’s Nominee, with the proceeds passing each year to HM Treasury. Such arrangements are set out in the Crown’s Nominee Account which is laid annually before Parliament.

When veterans with more complex circumstances can expect to receive their Remediable Service Statements under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2015 remedy.

While there is currently no specific date for the completion of these cases, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is working through them as quickly as possible and is monitoring progress with the contractor on a weekly basis.The outstanding cases are inherently complex and are being prioritised to ensure they are resolved as swiftly as possible. Work is underway to develop a completion schedule, aligned with the implementation of an updated commercial framework.The MOD is committed to providing further updates and clarity on timelines as soon as possible. Information was published earlier this month on GOV.UK under 'Remediable Service Statement Delivery Update', and a further update will be made available in April.https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pensions-and-compensation-for-veterans#remediable-service-statement-delivery-update

Representing the Church Commissioners, when the Church will be opening the Church of England Redress Scheme to applications.

Following the Abuse Redress Measure receiving Royal Assent on the 18th December 2025, the National Church Institutions (NCIs) are finalising the technical operational details before the scheme launches. The NCIs are working with a multi-stakeholder Steering Board, survivors and the scheme’s administrator to put the operational arrangements for the scheme in place, including building and testing the application process and preparing support systems and communications.The NCIs are working to ensure the scheme launches in 2026 and will provide as much notice as possible via the scheme’s website, where any interested party may register for updates: www.redresscofe.org/w/webpage/registration.

Food and Rural Affairs, what mechanisms are in place to help protect farmers from fluctuations in milk prices following the removal of the Basic Payment Scheme.

The UK dairy industry is a resilient and dynamic sector which operates in an open market where the value of dairy commodities, including farmgate milk prices, is established by those in supply chains including farmers, processors, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers. Price fluctuations are a normal part of how the dairy market operates as it seeks to balance supply with demand. The Government paid more than £2.6 billion to British farmers in 2024-25, the most funding in a single financial year since we left the EU. This included funding toward Environmental Land Management schemes, improving animal health and welfare on farm and grants to drive innovation in agriculture and food production across England.

If she will take steps to ensure that Metro Mayors retain roles in heavy rail governance under the provisions of the Railways Bill.

Great British Railways (GBR) will work in partnership with Mayoral Strategic Authorities, underpinned by statutory roles outlined in the Railways Bill. The Railways Bill enables cooperation between GBR and Mayoral Strategic Authorities, allowing for information sharing and the ability to enter into arrangements regarding railway functions.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact the EU’s bans on certain pesticides and fungicides taking effect and the UK’s planned alignment in June 2027 on British farmers.

The Government has agreed with the EU to establish a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) area, by way of an SPS Agreement. Plant protection products like pesticides and fungicides are in scope of that Agreement. Defra’s assessment of the potential impact is ongoing and considers a range of scenarios. The department understands the complexity of alignment in some areas, including for plant protection products. The Government is working closely with affected sectors, including farming, to incorporate their on-the-ground knowledge and analysis in planning for implementation.

What steps she will take to assess passenger affordability when setting rail fares.

Passenger affordability is a top priority for this Government when setting rail fares. That is why this year we have taken the historic step of freezing regulated rail fares for the first time in 30 years, putting money back in hard working people’s pockets and delivering savings for passengers across billions of journeys. It is important that we strike the right balance between affordability for passengers and reducing the burden on taxpayers. As set out in the Government’s response to the consultation on the Railways Bill, future fares policy under Great British Railways (GBR) will be guided by strategic parameters and guardrails, set by the Secretary of State and aligned to GBR’s financial settlement, providing GBR with greater autonomy and flexibility compared to today. These will reassure passengers that their fares will remain affordable, while ensuring sustainable use of taxpayer money on the network.

How the Railways Bill will support improved connectivity for communities currently without such links.

The Railways Bill will streamline the current fragmented system by establishing Great British Railways (GBR) as a new ‘directing mind’ for the industry, unifying track and train under one public body to deliver better services for passengers and customers, and better value for money for taxpayers. GBR will work collaboratively with devolved leaders and local stakeholders to support local rail needs and improved integration with other modes.

Whether the Railways Bill will set out the duties of the Great British Railways.

The Railways Bill includes a range of duties which will apply across the activities of GBR. Clause 18 sets the general duties which will apply to GBR, the ORR, the Secretary of State for Transport, and Scottish and Welsh Ministers. The general duties include promoting the interests of passengers, and promoting high standards of rail service performance. They set the foundation for how GBR will operate, guided by the public interest, and empowered to deliver a railway that works for its users, taxpayers and the wider public.The Government has published a collection of fact sheets relating to the Railways Bill which can be found on the Gov.uk website. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/railways-bill

How the Railways Bill will ensure that access rights to the network are fair, transparent and enforceable, particularly where Great British Rail will both manage infrastructure and operate services.

The new access framework within the Railways Bill will ensure that GBR will determine the best use of the network capacity for all operators in accordance with its statutory duties. New legislation will include key safeguards for third party operators, ensuring that GBR’s decisions on network access are fair and transparent with a strong route of appeal to the ORR. GBR will be required to design and consult with industry on its access and use policy which will set out the processes and criteria on how it will take access and capacity allocation decisions, and on which the ORR will be a statutory consultee.

When she plans to lay secondary legislation enabling local authorities outside London to enforce against pavement parking.

We will lay secondary legislation later in 2026 to give local authorities powers to issue Penalty Charge Notices for vehicles parked in a way that unnecessarily obstructs the pavement.At the next opportunity we will then introduce the necessary primary legislation to make powers available on an opt-in basis to Local Transport Authorities to prohibit pavement parking across their whole area. They will also have powers to exempt locations where pavement parking would still be necessary to maintain traffic flow, such as in narrow streets. Where there is no Strategic Authority, Unitary Authorities and County Councils would also have the choice to opt in.

What consideration has been given to allowing appointees to use the Access to Work online portal.

The Access to Work online portal has been designed to ensure that customers can manage their own claims securely and efficiently, following identity verification to protect personal information and prevent fraud. At present, the service does not include functionality for appointees to submit claims on behalf of customers. This is because the portal relies on individual identity verification to maintain the security and integrity of the process. However, we continue to provide a paper-based route for appointees to ensure that support remains available for those who need it.