Written questions by Anderson.

What assessment she has made about the potential impact of power outages on the ability of people the travel, in the context of the transition to electric cars.

The Department for Transport considers the risks and potential impacts from power outages through ongoing robust resilience assessment and planning processes. The challenges presented by a range of different vehicle types and modes of transport, including electric vehicles, are considered as part of this. Our assessments are kept under continual review. The Department works with the transport sector, local authorities, and other government departments to put in place measures to plan and prepare for acute power outage risks. Many transport providers work in conjunction with Local Resilience Fora as set out in the Civil Contingencies Act of 2004. This includes contingency planning to deal with local and regional emergencies, including power outages.

What steps he is taking to support the construction industry.

We work in partnership with the Construction Leadership Council, which I co-chair.The Planning and Infrastructure Act will speed up and streamline delivery of new homes and infrastructure, we are investing £39 billion over ten years through the Social and Affordable Homes Programme, and our New Homes Accelerator is accelerating delivery of housing sites – speeding up building of almost 100,000 homes across England.Our 10-year Industrial Strategy recognises construction as a priority, backing faster planning and offsite manufacturing, and we are providing £625 million to tackle construction skills shortages by training up to 60,000 more workers.

How much money is allocated to providing illegal migrants with (a) dental and (b) health care.

The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England do not hold the information requested. The overall management of people seeking asylum is a matter for the Home Office.

How many illegal migrants received (a) dental and (b) healthcare in the each of the last three years.

The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England do not hold the information requested. The overall management of people seeking asylum is a matter for the Home Office.

What recent estimate his Department has made of levels of medicine wastage in the NHS.

The Government recognises the importance of a coordinated approach to reduce medicine wastage, improve efficiencies, and lower costs for taxpayers. NHS England leads a medicine optimisation programme to enhance patient outcomes, ensure medication is taken as intended, avoid unnecessary medicines, and reduce wastage. For example, community pharmacies offer the New Medicines Service for newly prescribed patients and the Discharge Medicines Service for those recently discharged from hospital to support adherence. The 2021 national overprescribing review highlighted necessary practical and cultural changes to ensure appropriate patient treatment and value for money. General practices offer Structured Medicine Reviews, with pharmacists in multi-disciplinary teams optimising patient medication and preventing wastage. Additionally, electronic Repeat Dispensing allows prescribers to send repeat prescriptions as a batch to allow better management, ensuring patients only collect what they need. Waste reduction schemes are commissioned locally, and therefore the Department does not hold data centrally on the cost of medicines waste.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce medicine wastage in the NHS.

The Government recognises the importance of a coordinated approach to reduce medicine wastage, improve efficiencies, and lower costs for taxpayers. NHS England leads a medicine optimisation programme to enhance patient outcomes, ensure medication is taken as intended, avoid unnecessary medicines, and reduce wastage. For example, community pharmacies offer the New Medicines Service for newly prescribed patients and the Discharge Medicines Service for those recently discharged from hospital to support adherence. The 2021 national overprescribing review highlighted necessary practical and cultural changes to ensure appropriate patient treatment and value for money. General practices offer Structured Medicine Reviews, with pharmacists in multi-disciplinary teams optimising patient medication and preventing wastage. Additionally, electronic Repeat Dispensing allows prescribers to send repeat prescriptions as a batch to allow better management, ensuring patients only collect what they need. Waste reduction schemes are commissioned locally, and therefore the Department does not hold data centrally on the cost of medicines waste.

What data his Department holds on the cost to the NHS of wasted medicines.

The Government recognises the importance of a coordinated approach to reduce medicine wastage, improve efficiencies, and lower costs for taxpayers. NHS England leads a medicine optimisation programme to enhance patient outcomes, ensure medication is taken as intended, avoid unnecessary medicines, and reduce wastage. For example, community pharmacies offer the New Medicines Service for newly prescribed patients and the Discharge Medicines Service for those recently discharged from hospital to support adherence. The 2021 national overprescribing review highlighted necessary practical and cultural changes to ensure appropriate patient treatment and value for money. General practices offer Structured Medicine Reviews, with pharmacists in multi-disciplinary teams optimising patient medication and preventing wastage. Additionally, electronic Repeat Dispensing allows prescribers to send repeat prescriptions as a batch to allow better management, ensuring patients only collect what they need. Waste reduction schemes are commissioned locally, and therefore the Department does not hold data centrally on the cost of medicines waste.

Whether he has had recent discussions with Royal Mail on standards of service.

Ministers and officials have discussions with Royal Mail on a regular basis in its capacity as the universal service provider. Last November, I met the CEOs of Royal Mail and International Distribution Services and raised concerns about Royal Mail’s performance. They reported continued targeted action to improve reliability. I will continue to raise concerns with Royal Mail if quality of service does not improve. Ofcom, the independent regulator of postal services, sets and monitors Royal Mail’s regulated service standards and decides how to use its powers to investigate and take enforcement action should Royal Mail fail to achieve its obligations without sufficient justification.

What percentage of equipment used by the British armed forces is made in the UK.

The Government is spending more of a rising defence budget with British companies. Ministry of Defence (MOD) total direct expenditure with industry was £35.4 billion in 2024-25, of which £31.7 billion was with UK industry. Of the total industry spend, £11.9 billion was on equipment, of which £10.4 billion (87%) was in the UK. Statistics on MOD expenditure with industry are published annually on the gov.uk website at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-regional-expenditure-statistics-with-industry-202425. The Department does not centrally track the origin of all raw materials used in the production of equipment.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make an estimate of the cost of the local government reorganisation programme.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 77631 on 13 October 2025.

What percentage of raw materials used in the production of equipment for the armed forces are sourced in Britain.

The Government is spending more of a rising defence budget with British companies. Ministry of Defence (MOD) total direct expenditure with industry was £35.4 billion in 2024-25, of which £31.7 billion was with UK industry. Of the total industry spend, £11.9 billion was on equipment, of which £10.4 billion (87%) was in the UK. Statistics on MOD expenditure with industry are published annually on the gov.uk website at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-regional-expenditure-statistics-with-industry-202425. The Department does not centrally track the origin of all raw materials used in the production of equipment.

What recent assessment she has made of the scale of illegal migration to the UK.

The Home Office publishes statistics on detected arrivals via illegal routes to the UK in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on detected arrivals by illegal routes is published in table Irr_D01 of the ‘Irregular migration to the UK detailed datasets’, with the latest data up to the end of September 2025.The Government has taken significant steps to address illegal migration and its Plan for Change sets out our ambition to secure borders and control immigration. We are committed to tackling illegal migration and the criminal networks which facilitate it. Since July 2024, nearly 50,000 individuals without lawful status have been returned from the UK. Our agreement with France means that those arriving by small boats can be detained and returned to France.

What recent assessment he has made of the readiness of the NHS to respond to co-ordinated cyber attacks.

In the past year, we have invested £37.6 million across health and social care, building on the £338 million invested since 2017. Through our ambitious Cyber Improvement Programme, we are tackling the changing cyber risk head-on, expanding protection and services to better protect the health and care system.NHS England’s Cyber Operations team provides 24/7 monitoring and expert support to National Health Service organisations who have been impacted by cyber-attacks. This includes specialist, on the ground, certified incident response services free of charge to NHS organisations who have been severely impacted by cyber incidents as well as technical and operational support to contain, investigate, and remediate incidents. Furthermore, we have developed guidance for leaders involved in cyber incidents to ensure there is a clear policy and process for how to respond across all elements of incidents.We have a process in place to identify lessons and implement improvements following cyber incidents. Following the Synnovis cyber-attack in 2024, the Department and NHS England have made improvements to critical communications processes, additional measures to improve resilience in the supply chain, and setting out clearer roles and responsibilities in incident management.In 2023, a Health and Care Cyber Security Strategy was launched. Pillar 5 of the strategy focuses on exemplary response and recovery, and as set out in the strategy, health and care organisations should run annual cyber exercises to ensure there is a well-practiced and rapid response when incidents do occur.

What data her Department holds on the number of asylum seekers who have voluntarily visited their country of origin while their asylum claim is being processed.

Requests to leave the UK whilst continuing to pursue an asylum claim will only be accepted in the most exceptional circumstances such as the serious illness or death of a close family member or access to medical treatment abroad as it is unavailable in the UK. If the claimant does not seek permission to travel before leaving the UK, or the request is not responded to by the Home Office, before the claimant has left the UK, all circumstances will be taken into account before proceeding to withdrawal action.Under paragraph 333C(b)(ii) of the Immigration Rules, an application may be treated as implicitly withdrawn if the applicant leaves the United Kingdom (without authorisation) at any time before the conclusion of their application for asylum.In the Immigration System Statistics data tables, published quarterly, withdrawals are categorised into implicit (non- substantiated) and other withdrawals (including explicit). However, we do not report on withdrawals in greater detail than that, for example, according to whether someone has returned to their country of origin as it is not held in a reportable format.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of illegal migration on risks to the public.

The Border Security Command (BSC) whose work is imperative not only to stop criminals from entering the UK via small boats in the first place but to stop anyone from making these dangerous journeys. This is why the BSC is working with partners internationally to tackle and disrupt organised immigration crime gangs.All individuals arriving in the UK via small boats undergo a comprehensive screening process. This is designed to gather key information about each person, including any indicators of criminality.As part of this process, the Home Office collects biometric data—such as facial images and fingerprints—to verify identity. These biometrics are checked against Home Office systems and other law enforcement databases, including Interpol’s wanted list. This enables us to identify individuals, assess whether they pose a risk to public safety, and determine any breaches of immigration law. These checks are essential to maintaining a secure, fair, and effective immigration system.In line with the Refugee Convention, refugee status will be denied to those who have committed serious crimes, pose a danger to the community, or present a threat to national security.For further details on security checks during the asylum screening process, please refer to Gov.UK.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of the cost of energy bills on households.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is the lead department for the energy sector only. Regarding energy utility bills, lowering bills is central to every decision we make. Thanks to decisions in Government's Autumn Budget, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) will deliver an average £150 of costs off household energy bills from April 2026. As a result of this action, people can expect to make a significant saving on their bills. In addition, in 2024-2025, 7,961 households (18.4%) in Ashfield benefited from the Warm Home Discount - a £150 discount on their energy bill. This winter, we are expanding this discount so that around 6 million low-income households will receive this support, including an approximate additional 160,000 households in the East Midlands region. Beyond these measures, this Government is taking back control of our energy to prevent the British people from being left exposed to price shocks caused by our dependence on fossil fuel markets. We are delivering the biggest investment in clean, low-cost energy in British history, so we can build a system that protects billpayers permanently.

What recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of rising household costs on working parents.

The Government recognises that everyday costs remain too high for many households, including working parents. This is why, at the Budget, the Government took action to bear down on prices and help cut cost of living pressures by targeting everyday expenses. This includes taking an average of £150 off household energy bills from April 2026, expanding the £150 Warm Home Discount to six million lower-income households, freezing regulated rail fares and NHS prescription fees for one year, and extending the 5p fuel duty cut until the end of August 2026. The Government is also committed to making renting easier and more affordable. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 will strengthen protections for private renters and help tenants challenge unreasonable rent increases. Alongside this, the Government is supporting working families by removing the two-child limit in Universal Credit, increasing the National Living Wage to £12.71 per hour from April 2026, extending the £3 bus cap to March 2027, expanding free breakfast clubs, widening free school meals eligibility, and increasing support with childcare costs through Universal Credit. The Bank of England has cut Bank Rate six times since the election as inflationary pressures have eased, helping to reduce borrowing costs for households.

What steps she is taking to increase transparency in the way immigration applications are processed.

All entry clearance, permission to stay and settlement applications are subject to customer service standards which we report on our website along with transparency data on performance. Where an individual is refused permission they are provided with a full refusal notice and in some categories have a right to an administrative review or full right of appeal. Applicants are also able to view guidance which is published on GOV.UK (Visas and immigration operational guidance - GOV.UK), that caseworkers use when they consider making decisions on applications.

What steps she is taking to increase teacher retention.

A strong retention strategy is at the heart of the government’s pledge for 6,500 more expert teachers, as part of its Plan for Change. The department has already implemented a near 10% pay award over two years and we are offering the Targeted Retention Incentive, worth up to £6,000 after tax for teachers of key subjects in the first five years of their careers who work in disadvantaged schools.Last year we accepted in full the School Teacher Review Body’s recommendations on Teaching and Learning Responsibility payments. From September 2026, these additional payments will be paid to teachers based on the proportion of responsibility they carry out, rather than their contracted hours. This change follows calls from the sector and will improve equality of opportunity for part-time workers, better enabling them to move into leadership roles.In addition to financial incentives, our ’Improve workload and wellbeing for school staff’ service provides a range of resources for schools to review and reduce workload and improve staff wellbeing. This service can be accessed here: https://improve-workload-and-wellbeing-for-school-staff.education.gov.uk/.We are seeing signs of improvement: the latest School Workforce Census reported one of the lowest leaver rates since 2010, with 1,300 fewer teachers leaving the state-funded sector than the year before, and more teachers are returning to state schools after having previously left than at any point in the last ten years, with 17,274 teachers returning to the classroom.

What steps she is taking to improve transparency in the way crime data is published.

The Office for National Statistics has primary responsibility for publishing information on crime statistics.They publish progress updates on their crime statistics improvement programme, with the last update in July 2025, available here: Improving crime statistics for England and Wales – progress update - Office for National Statistics