Written questions by Turner.

Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to launch the call for evidence on how gamebirds are reared in the gamebird sector.

Awaiting answer.

When HS2 Ltd will next publish minutes of its board meetings.

HS2 Ltd Board minutes covering the period between August and November 2025 will be published by the end of May, following this week’s cost and schedule ranges announcement. HS2 Ltd Board minutes covering the period between December 2025 to March 2026 will be published shortly afterwards.

How many passenger rail delay minutes were attributed to trespassers in each year from 2020/21 to 2025/26.

The British Transport Police work in collaboration with the rail industry to minimise disruption to the network following a trespass incident. Their activity includes innovative new tactics such as the deployment of Beyond Visual Line of Sight drones, which provide early situational awareness to support officers on the ground and inform decision-making at live incidents so the railway can reopen as quickly as possible. The table below summarises delay minutes attributed to trespass (excluding fatalities) in the years 2020/21 to 2025/26. Table: delay minutes and incidents attributed to trespass, total delay minutes and trespass delay minutes as a share of total delay minutes, Great Britain, 2020/21 to 2025/26 Financial Year Trespass delay Minutes1Incident Count1Total Network delay minutes2Trespass delay minutes as a share of total delay minutes22020/21388,4449,4096,744,3256%2021/22561,70211,54710,484,5765%2022/23718,91611,57413,730,8985%2023/24864,86712,71215,496,1386%2024/251,120,52113,58815,989,8027%2025/261,148,91413,90216,756,9627%Notes: 2020/21 to 2022/23 were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemicSource:1 Network Rail2 ORR Table 3184 - Delay minutes by operator and cause (periodic) | ORR Data Portal

With reference to the oral contribution of the Deputy Prime Minister, on 05 November 2025, Official Report, column 903, what recent progress his Department has made on ensuring that the NHS supports people with Friedreich’s Ataxia.

Following the oral question, the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health Innovation and Safety met with Jonathan Brash, his constituent, and Ataxia UK. Under the UK Rare Diseases Framework, the Government is working to improve access to specialist care, treatments, and drugs across all rare conditions, including Friedreich’s Ataxia. In February, we published the fifth England action plan reporting on progress. This year, we will continue to review the effectiveness of early access pathways for rare disease therapies, including the Early Access to Medicines Scheme, the Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway, and the Innovative Medicines Fund, which are designed to help innovative treatments reach patients sooner.

Pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2025 to Question 29687 on Traffic Officers, how many National Highways traffic officers were employed on 15 March in (a) 2025 and (b) 2026.

The number of traffic officers employed by National Highways on 15 March in 2025 and 2026 were as follows: YearTraffic officer headcount on 15 March20251,62620261,620

What funding has been allocated to the construction of the Frankley Hill specialist school in New Frankley, Birmingham.

Frankley Hill School in Birmingham is currently at an early stage of development. At this stage, a specific project budget has not yet been confirmed. A feasibility study is underway, including site surveys and initial design work, which will inform the overall project budget.

Pursuant to the Answer of 15 April 2026 to Question 125758, and with reference to the Answer of 19 October 2019 to Question 2677, what information the British Transport Police hold on the number of (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions for railway trespass offences.

The British Transport Police (BTP) record this data, however due to data recording methods and the extended time period the request applies to, they have not been able to extract the information within the timeframe. I have asked the Rail Minister to write to the Honourable Member with the data requested by the end of the month of April 2026.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact on patients with (a) Addison's Disease and (b) adrenal insufficiency of the permanent discontinuation of hydrocortisone sodium phosphate 100mg/1ml solution by Advanz Pharma.

The Department are aware of the discontinuation of hydrocortisone sodium phosphate 100 milligram/one millilitre solution for injection and we continue to work with industry to find a longer-term solution.Hydrocortisone sodium succinate 100 milligram powder remains available for patients. We have issued comprehensive management guidance to healthcare professionals on how to manage patients while supply is disrupted. The guidance highlighted the differences between the two hydrocortisone injections. It also included resources for patients and healthcare professionals on how to administer the alternative hydrocortisone injection. We also understand that The Addison’s Self Help Group have also published information on this discontinuation to keep patients informed along with resources for patients on how to administer the alternative hydrocortisone.

What the cost to the public purse was of her Department's acquisition of Class 365 units in 2019.

The cost of the purchase of the Class 365s in 2019 was £123.6M which was set out in the 2020 accounts of Train Fleet (2019) (“TF19”) available through Companies House (see principal activities and note 7 fixed assets). This purchase price has been substantially recovered which can be seen through the subsequent published accounts of TF19 with only £9M remaining in the March 2025 accounts.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she is making to G7 partner nations on the prevention of transnational repression.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 11 December 2025 in response to Question 97660.

If her Department has assessed the potential merits of constructing (a) the Bordesley Chord West (b) the Bordesley Chord East at the same time.

Network Rail awarded a contract for detailed design for the Western phase of Midlands Rail Hub (including both Bordesley Chords) in December 2025. Progressing to delivery is subject to securing necessary consents and a final investment decision, which will consider the value for money and affordability of constructing both chords at the same time.

How many people were (a) prosecuted for and (b) convicted of railway trespass in each of the last ten years.

Prosecution and Conviction data are held by the Ministry of Justice from court records collected by HM Courts & Tribunals Service. The Department for Transport does not hold this data separately for railway trespass and it is not always recorded as its own offence category in national data sets.

What information her Department holds on the levels of public awareness of the 29 January 2022 revisions to the Highway Code.

Improving road safety is one of my Department’s highest priorities. Injuries and fatalities from road collisions caused by driving are unacceptable, and this Government will work hard to prevent these tragedies for all road users. That is why on 7 January 2026, we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. 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. The Department has assessed public understanding of the 2022 Highway Code changes through survey research which tracks levels of awareness and self‑reported understanding and compliance over time. · The percentage of road users reporting to know either a little or a lot about the changes increased from 36% in January 2022 to over 50% in August 2022 and up to 70% in September 2023, with 86% of road users having heard of the changes by that time. · Understanding of pedestrian priority at junctions increased from 52% to 72%, and cyclists riding 2 abreast rising from 30% to 46%. · Following the second phase of the campaign in summer 2023, 81% of drivers claimed to leave a gap of 1.5metres when passing a cyclist all or most of the time. 79% of drivers claimed to pass horse riders and horse drawn vehicles with at least 2metres distance and at under 10mph all or most of the time. ·Of the respondents that recognised the campaign advert, nine in ten said they had taken action as a result. · More recent figures show a sustained increase in those saying it is unacceptable to not leave enough space for cyclists and horse riders, from 60% in March 2024 to 68% in April 2025. However, as set out in the strategy, more work is needed to continue embedding these changes and overall awareness of the Highway Code. We are considering options in this area, and further details will be shared in due course. As our road environment and technologies evolve, providing education for all road users throughout their lifetime is vital to improving road safety. Although failure to comply with the advisory rules of the Highway Code will not, in itself, cause a person to be prosecuted, contraventions of these rules may be used as evidence in court to establish liability for a road traffic offence. Advisory rules include those which begin ‘should/should not’ and ‘do/do not’.

When the maximum penalty for railway trespass was set at £1,000; and what the maximum penalty was previously.

The maximum penalty of £1,000 for railway trespass was set with effect from 1 October 1992, following amendments to the standard scale of fines made under the Criminal Justice Act 1991. Prior to October 1992, the maximum penalty at level 3 on the standard scale was £400.

What the sum of penalties for railway trespass has been in each of the last ten years.

Information on the number of financial penalties imposed by the courts is held by the Ministry of Justice, from sentencing data recorded by HM Courts & Tribunals Service. The Department for Transport does not record the sum of penalties for railway trespass.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Glue Traps (Offences) Act 2022 in preventing unlicenced use of glue traps.

This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only. No formal assessment of the effectiveness of the Glue Traps (Offences) Act 2022 in preventing unlicensed use of glue traps has been made. The Act aims to improve animal welfare by reducing the use of glue traps in England. Since 2022, market-leading suppliers have been removing glue traps from sale and promoting more humane alternatives; and since 2024, professional pest controllers have only been able to use glue traps in exceptional circumstances under licence. Defra has confidence that the number of these devices deployed across England has been significantly reducing.

When Glenart Castle Mess in Longbridge, Birmingham will reopen.

Glenart Castle Mess is anticipated to reopen in Summer 2026. The closure of the Mess has no impact on Defence’s ability to meet its contractual obligations with the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, where the majority of personnel based at Glenart Castle routinely work.

Whether banking hubs are obliged to accept cheque deposits.

The Government recognises that cheques remain an important payment method for some people. Decisions on whether cheque deposits are accepted and processed through Post Office counters in banking hubs are commercial matters for individual banks, based on their arrangements with the Post Office and Cash Access UK, which operates banking hubs. Most retail banks currently accept cheque deposits at banking hubs and the Government expects firms to ensure that customers can continue to access the services they need. Where this service is not available at a banking hub counter, customers continue to have alternative options to pay in cheques, including at bank branches and by post, or digitally via mobile banking apps using cheque imaging technology. Any customers affected by changes to cheque depositing services offered through banking hubs are encouraged to contact their bank directly to request information about the bank’s plans to support them. The Government continues to engage with the banking industry banking industry, the Post Office and Cash Access UK to improve the consistency and level of services provided through banking hubs, so that they meet the needs of communities across the UK.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to policy S5 of the draft National Planning Policy Statement, how he will define reasonable walking distance.

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, the government consulted a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The consultation on the revised Framework, which can be found on gov.uk here, set out a number of proposals to support development in sustainable locations, including a “default yes” for suitable proposals that develop land around rail stations within existing settlements, and around ‘well-connected’ train stations outside settlements, including on Green Belt land.It makes clear that such development should be limited to land physically well-related to the station and within reasonable walking distance of it.Reasonable walking distance is not quantified in the consultation document itself but following the Oral Statement I made on 16 December 2025 I referenced 800 metres (approximately 10 minutes at moderate walking speed) as the government’s working assumption of how it might be defined. The consultation sought views on all aspects of the policy, including how reasonable walking distance should be defined.We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to policy S5 of the draft National Planning Policy Statement, if he will consider the potential merits of including bus interchanges in that policy.

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, the government consulted a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The consultation on the revised Framework, which can be found on gov.uk here, set out a number of proposals to support development in sustainable locations, including a “default yes” for suitable proposals that develop land around rail stations within existing settlements, and around ‘well-connected’ train stations outside settlements, including on Green Belt land.It makes clear that such development should be limited to land physically well-related to the station and within reasonable walking distance of it.Reasonable walking distance is not quantified in the consultation document itself but following the Oral Statement I made on 16 December 2025 I referenced 800 metres (approximately 10 minutes at moderate walking speed) as the government’s working assumption of how it might be defined. The consultation sought views on all aspects of the policy, including how reasonable walking distance should be defined.We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.