Written questions by Kyrke-Smith.

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that there is the right level of electric vehicle maintenance and repair skills to support the projected increase in electric vehicle adoption.

The Government is committed to ensuring the UK has the skills needed to support the growing number of zero emission electric vehicles. According to the Institute of the Motor Industry, around 71,942 technicians (26% of the UK’s total) are qualified to work on electric vehicles, which currently make up about 4.2% of all licensed vehicles. The proportion of electrified vehicles (including hybrids) is estimated to be slightly higher, at 13%. The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles has endorsed the Institute of the Motor Industry’s TechSafe scheme, which ensures technicians have the skills required to safely repair zero emission electric vehicles and provides consumers with a register of qualified professionals.

If she will hold discussions with Ofsted on reducing the time taken to licence people who are in charge of children's homes.

The department is already taking steps to support Ofsted with effective prioritisation of registrations for new children’s social care provision. To address registration delays, we have supported Ofsted to update their registration prioritisation criteria, enabling Ofsted to prioritise applications for homes urgently needed to meet identified sufficiency gaps, homes receiving capital funding from us, and provision providing highly specialist care for children with complex needs and/or disability. The department will assist Ofsted to review the policy’s impact in April 2026 and consider further changes.We are also committed to working with Ofsted to identify improvements to the registration process for children’s home managers. This includes considering changes to regulations and procedures to streamline registration transfers when managers move between children’s homes so that they can take up new positions more quickly where they are needed.

What steps her Department is taking to help strengthen safeguarding arrangements in out-of-school settings.

This government is committed to safeguarding children and protecting them from harm, including in out-of-school settings (OOSS).The department has already updated guidance for providers and produced free e-learning, to support them in their legal duty to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children in their settings and protect them from harm. We also strengthened guidance for local authorities on identifying and intervening in settings of concern, alongside updating guidance for parents and carers to help them make informed choices, including warning signs to look out for and steps to take if concerns arise.On 29 May 2025, we launched a Call for Evidence on OOSS safeguarding to better understand current practice and invite views on possible approaches to further strengthen safeguarding. This was extended for an additional month in August 2025 and finally closed on 21 September 2025. We are currently analysing responses, and will undertake further engagement with sector representatives, safeguarding experts, and parents before issuing a full response in due course.

What steps he is taking to reduce gynaecology waiting lists, which include those who need a diagnosis of, and treatment for, endometriosis.

Reducing waiting lists is a key part of the Government’s Health Mission. We are committed to putting patients first by ensuring that they are seen on time and that they have the best possible experience of care. Our Elective Reform Plan (ERP), published in January 2025, sets out reforms we are making to improve gynaecology waiting times across England. This includes:- innovative models of care that offer care closer to home and in the community;- piloting gynaecology pathways in community diagnostic centres for patients with post-menopausal bleeding; and- increasing the relative funding available to incentivise providers to take on more gynaecology procedures.We are also introducing an “online hospital”, NHS Online, which will give people who are experiencing menstrual problems which may be a sign of endometriosis the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home.Lastly, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence updated their guidelines on endometriosis in November 2024, and two new treatments have been approved.

How much funding he plans to provide for treatments for secondary breast cancer in each of the next three years.

Decisions about the funding and provision of health services are the responsibility of local integrated care boards. Further details and allocations will be set out in due course. The National Cancer Plan, published 4 February 2026, has set out actions aimed at supporting people with secondary breast cancer.To improve outcomes for breast cancer patients, NHS England funds the National Audit of Breast Cancer Treatment, covering both primary and metastatic disease. By analysing routine clinical data from National Health Service settings, these audits identify regional variations in care quality and establish best practices. This will benefit all breast cancer patients, including secondary breast cancer patients.The plan highlights the Government’s ambition to ensure that every person with secondary breast cancer has faster diagnosis and treatment, access to the latest treatments and technology, and high-quality support throughout their journey, while driving up cancer survival rates.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to ratify the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction.

I refer the Hon Member to the response given to question 109027 on 5 February.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to ensure regulators, industry, academia, civil society and NGOs can contribute on equal terms to shaping and overseeing delivery of the strategy entitled, Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods.

The Government consulted regulators, industry, academia and civil society during the development of the Replacing Animals in Science strategy and will continue to do so during strategy implementation, including via the Home Office-led forums. This includes collaboration with civil society organisations with expertise in this area, including animal welfare organisations and learned societies, and other interested groups. We will also include regulators within our governance, given the importance of regulatory acceptance. Any work to phase out animal testing and regulatory procedures, must be science-led and in lock step with partners.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to track the progress of the 26 commitments, set out in the policy paper entitled Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods, published on 11 November 2025, which will be delivered or started during 2026 and 2027 to prioritise the development and validation of alternative methods of using animals in science.

The Government’s strategy Replacing animals in science, commits to publish biennially from 2026 a list of alternative-methods research and development priorities, coalescing UK scientists around these areas and incentivising partnerships between research organisations, CROs and industry. To enable progress to be tracked against the 26 commitments set out in the strategy quarterly ministerial meetings are being held and there is a monthly reporting dashboard to ensure ministers can track progress.

What steps he is taking to ensure consistent application of NICE guidelines across Integrated Care Boards for the diagnosis and access to specialist care for the treatment of ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines are evidence-based, informed by clinical expertise, and represent best practice. Healthcare professionals and integrated care board (ICB) commissioners are expected to take NICE guidelines fully into account when designing and delivering services, including for the diagnosis and treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). NHS England ensures that ICBs follow NICE guidance through a combination of statutory oversight frameworks, annual performance assessments, and local clinical governance requirements.We published the final ME/CFS delivery plan in July 2025, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mecfs-the-final-delivery-planThe plan focuses on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease. It also sets out a series of actions, which will help address the key challenges and drive forward improvements to outcomes and quality of life for people living with ME/CFS in England.

What steps he is taking to put in place a long term funding strategy for research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.

As set out in the Government’s final delivery plan for myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) that was published in July 2025, the Department has taken action to strengthen research capacity and capability for ME/CFS to support the long-term future of the research field.These actions include hosting a research showcase event, a new development award to evaluate repurposed pharmaceutical interventions, and announcing newly funded studies in health and care services, research infrastructure, and capacity-building.We are determined to accelerate progress in the treatment and management of ME/CFS and will continue working with the community to identify and address barriers to research.The Department funded National Institute for Health and Care Research welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including ME/CFS.

What steps she is taking to raise awareness about new Highway Code rules.

Following updates to the Highway Code in 2022, the department ran large-scale THINK! advertising campaigns to raise awareness of the changes. Via the THINK! campaign, we are also running year-round radio filler adverts encouraging compliance with the guidance to improve safety for those walking, cycling and horse riding. We will also continue to promote the changes via THINK! and Department for Transport social media channels, as well as through partner organisations. However, as set out in the road safety strategy, more work is needed to continue embedding these changes. We are considering options in this area, and further details will be shared in due course.

What steps she is taking to provide security protections for faith communities.

Protecting the right of all faith communities to worship in peace and without fear is fundamental.This year, the Government is investing £70.9 million to strengthen security at places of worship and other community sites.This includes an additional £10 million each for Jewish and Muslim communities, taking protective security funding for these groups to record levels.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help ensure that food labelling accurately reflects animal welfare practices.

The UK maintains high standards on the information that is provided on food labels so that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy. All food sold on the UK market must comply with food labelling rules, which include the requirement for specific information to be presented in a specific way. An underpinning rule of existing legislation is that food information, whether it be mandatory or is provided voluntarily, must not mislead. The Government is considering the potential role of method of production labelling reform as part of the ongoing development of our wider animal welfare strategy, which we will publish later this year.

What is the number of unclaimed matured HMRC-allocated Child Trust Funds (CTF) which have been automatically transferred into Individual Savings Accounts at the direction of their account provider and without positive acceptance by their young adult owners; and whether these accounts remain separately identified as such in order to be eligible for any automatic release scheme for unclaimed matured HMRC-allocated CTF accounts that may be introduced in the future.

Information on Child Trust Funds is available in HMRC’s Annual Savings Statistics.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-savings-statistics-2025We cannot answer each element of the 2 questions as HMRC does not receive a breakdown of unclaimed matured Child Trust Fund accounts from providers. This means we can’t identify which CTFs have been HMRC allocated and transferred into ISAs, nor breakdown the figures shared in the press release on the 30th September.

What is the number of unclaimed matured HMRC-allocated Child Trust Fund (CTF) accounts which are included within the total quoted in the HMRC press release on 30 September 2025 for all matured CTFs which have neither been claimed by their owners nor automatically transferred.

Information on Child Trust Funds is available in HMRC’s Annual Savings Statistics.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-savings-statistics-2025We cannot answer each element of the 2 questions as HMRC does not receive a breakdown of unclaimed matured Child Trust Fund accounts from providers. This means we can’t identify which CTFs have been HMRC allocated and transferred into ISAs, nor breakdown the figures shared in the press release on the 30th September.

What the average waiting time is for a driving test in Aylesbury; and when the backlog for those tests will be cleared.

The average waiting time in weeks, as of October 2025, at Aylesbury driving test centre (DTC) was 19 weeks. The average waiting time in weeks, as of October 2025, for other DTC’s that might serve customers in the area, are shown below: Bletchley – 24 weeksHigh Wycombe – 5 weeksLeighton Buzzard – 24 weeksOxford – 24 weeks The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times. The agency is intensifying its efforts to reduce waiting times and improve access to driving tests that will break down barriers to opportunity as part of the government’s Plan for Change. At the Transport Select committee on 12 November 2025, the Secretary of State for Transport confirmed the latest DVSA modelling shows it is not possible to meet a 7-week waiting time by summer 2026. There are several factors driving higher demand for tests, and it is not currently possible to say when waiting times will reduce to 7-weeks or fewer. The Secretary of State will be working closely with DVSA in addressing this important issue. In the coming months, DVSA will:change the booking service to allow only learner car drivers to book and manage their testsintroduce a limit on the number of times a learner car driver can move or swap a test to twice and also limit the area they can move a test to once booked.make use of Ministry of Defence (MOD) driving examiners for up to 12 months to help tackle driving test waiting times.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to reduce the impact of noise from fireworks on (a) dogs and (b) other animals; and whether she plans to make an assessment of the potential impact of reducing the maximum noise level for consumer fireworks from 120 to 90 decibels on (i) dogs and (ii) other animals.

The Government is continuing to engage with animal welfare stakeholders, businesses, consumer groups and charities on the impacts of fireworks, to inform any future action.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that closer alignment with the European Union on a Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary Agreement does not adversely impact (a) animal welfare laws and (b) the ban on live exports.

This Government shares the British public's high regard for animal welfare and understands the strong sentiment that led to legislation to ban live exports going to slaughter. The UK-EU Common Understanding states that there will be a number of areas where we retain our own rules. The details of these are now subject to negotiation, but we have been clear about the importance of being able to set high animal welfare standards.

What steps her Department is taking to improve collaboration across local authority borders on bus routes.

Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) already work closely together when tendering bus routes that cross shared boundaries, and in delivering their Bus Service Improvement Plans. There are also requirements set out in the Transport Act 2000 for LTAs to take account of the effect of an Enhanced Partnership on neighbouring areas, and for policies on bus services in neighbouring LTA areas to be considered when developing any franchising arrangements. The Government has updated its bus franchising guidance to LTAs to make clear that they should consider cross-boundary services during any franchising assessment process. This includes as part of the commercial case, where they should set out how they intend to facilitate cross-boundary services to deliver relevant targets in both authorities’ areas. In addition, the Government’s Bus Services Act 2025 puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders. This Bill is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them right across England, including services that cross local authority boundaries. The Act gives franchising authorities greater scope to grant service permits to operators wishing to provide non-franchised services which enter a franchising area from another area. Franchising authorities will be able to take account of these proposed cross-boundary services’ benefits in all the areas where the service would run, not just the franchising area as before. This will enable franchising authorities to better harness the additionality the market can provide in delivering these important services and take a more holistic approach to cross-boundary bus provision.

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of palliative care services in Aylesbury constituency.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications.  The statutory guidance states that ICBs, including the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB, must work to ensure that there is sufficient provision of care services to meet the needs of their local populations. NHS England has also developed a palliative care and end of life care dashboard, which brings together all relevant local data in one place. The dashboard helps commissioners understand the palliative care and end of life care needs of their local population.The Department and NHS England are currently looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.We will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative and end of life care services to ensure that services reduce variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining the drivers and incentives that are required in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. The Hospice of the St Francis and Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care, which both serve people in the Aylesbury constituency, are receiving £486,476 and £1,114,316 from this funding respectively.