Written questions by Smart.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of allowing academy trusts to prioritise feeder schools within their own trust on the distances that children travel to school.

I refer the hon. Member for Hazel Grove to the answer of 28 November 2025 to Question 92797.

What steps her Department is taking to improve oversight and coordination of road works undertaken by local authorities and utilities companies.

The Government supports lane rental as an effective measure to reduce congestion from the most disruptive works by incentivising better planning. It allows highway authorities to charge up to £2,500 per day for works on the busiest roads at peak times, incentivising quicker completion, off-peak scheduling, or alternative locations. We are facilitating the expansion of lane rental schemes, with updated guidance and application templates to be published shortly.The Department’s digital service, Street Manager, is used by all highway authorities and utility companies in England to plan and manage works. Permits are applied for and granted through the service before works commence, providing a single source of information for the sector. This enables authorities to identify potential conflicts before approving permits. We also publish open data on live and planned works in real time, allowing developers to create tools that inform road users about disruptions. Street Manager continues to evolve. Recent updates have enhanced coordination by highlighting potential clashes and improving collaboration features. In 2026, new functionality will support works on lane rental streets. Additionally, the new digital traffic orders system will centralise information on temporary road closures, making these details available as open data for wider public use.The Department issues statutory guidance through the Code of Practice for the Co-ordination of Street and Road Works. We are currently working with industry stakeholders via the Highway Authorities and Utilities Committee to update this guidance with the aim of further improving coordination.From January 2026, fixed penalty notices for certain street works offences, such as working without a permit or breaching permit conditions will double. Charges of up to £10,000 per day for overrunning works will also apply to weekends and bank holidays. These measures aim to strengthen compliance and improve coordination across the network.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of a joined-up continence care pathway between the NHS, local authorities and care home providers to ensure residents receive appropriate and personalised continence support.

The 10-Year Health Plan will shift care from hospital to community, and will thereby help to drive more joint working in neighborhoods between primary care, pharmacies, community health care, and social care to help people to manage continence at home, helping them to have access to the right self-care, the right professional support so they aren’t passed from service to service, and reducing their need for emergency admissions to hospital. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance on continence care recommends commissioners and providers deliver high quality management of continence care provision delivered in an integrated way.

What assessment his Department conducted to determine if the 120 dB noise limit is sufficiently protecting animals and vulnerable people from harm.

The Government has made no assessment to determine if the 120 dB noise limit is sufficiently protecting animals and vulnerable people from harm. The Government is continuing to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities, including those supporting animals and vulnerable people, to gather evidence on the issues with and impacts of fireworks to inform any future action and review into the current fireworks legislation.

Whether his Department plans to meet with fireworks industry stakeholders, such as Fireworks Impact Coalition, to discuss the potential merits of a comprehensive review of current fireworks legislation.

The Government has made no assessment to determine if the 120 dB noise limit is sufficiently protecting animals and vulnerable people from harm. The Government is continuing to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities, including those supporting animals and vulnerable people, to gather evidence on the issues with and impacts of fireworks to inform any future action and review into the current fireworks legislation.

Whether any assessment has been made of the potential impact of allowing academy trusts to prioritise feeder schools within their own trust in their admissions policy on the average distance that children have to travel to school.

The School Admissions Code permits a trust naming another school in the trust as a feeder school. As with any selection of a feeder school, the trust must ensure that the named school is chosen on reasonable grounds, and the arrangements must be lawful and fair according to local circumstances.Admission authorities must consult on any change to their admissions arrangements. Once set, anyone who believes a school's admission arrangements are unfair or unlawful can object to the independent schools adjudicator.In its 2015/16 annual report, the Office of the Schools Adjudicator (OSA) noted an increasing trend for trusts to name all trust primaries as feeders for a secondary school, for reasons including promoting continuity and reflecting trust-wide links.The report noted some objections to feeder school arrangements were upheld as unfair where distant feeders were prioritised over local children, resulting in longer journeys. However, where priority for distant feeders came after priority for local children, this was unlikely to be found unfair.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing compensation schemes for small businesses affected by prolonged or disruptive roadworks.

The Government remains committed to supporting small businesses across the country and helping them thrive. While we recognise the importance of minimising disruption, essential works do need to take place from time to time, and many businesses will ultimately benefit from the improvements these works deliver. Responsibility for road works on local roads rests with the relevant local highway authority. Decisions on whether to offer compensation to affected traders are entirely a matter for the local council. In some cases, when street works are carried out by gas or water companies, small businesses may be able to claim compensation for losses incurred. Business owners should contact the utility company directly in such circumstances. There are currently no legislative provisions requiring electricity or telecoms companies to provide compensation for works, and the Department for Transport has no plans to change the existing compensation arrangements.

Whether his Department plans to hold discussions with (a) fireworks industry stakeholders, such as Fireworks Impact Coalition, and (b) animal welfare focused charities on the adequacy of fireworks legislation.

Building on the work of my predecessor, I will continue to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on fireworks-related issues.The insights from these discussions, as well as other evidence gathered on the impact of fireworks on animals and vulnerable people will guide future action. They also helped to inform the public safety campaign that I launched for this year’s fireworks season.The safety of the public and the impact on people, animals and property will be central in decisions on how the Government proceeds in relation to the regulation of fireworks.

Whether his Department plans to review the adequacy of fireworks legislation to determine whether it is fit for purpose and protects animals and vulnerable people.

Building on the work of my predecessor, I will continue to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on fireworks-related issues.The insights from these discussions, as well as other evidence gathered on the impact of fireworks on animals and vulnerable people will guide future action. They also helped to inform the public safety campaign that I launched for this year’s fireworks season.The safety of the public and the impact on people, animals and property will be central in decisions on how the Government proceeds in relation to the regulation of fireworks.

What assessment she has made of feeder schools taking priority in school admissions on the average distance that pupils have to travel to school.

It is for admission authorities to set the oversubscription criteria which are most suitable for their schools according to their local circumstances. The School Admissions Code allows admission authorities to give priority within their oversubscription criteria to pupils attending a named feeder school. The selection of a feeder school or schools as an oversubscription criterion must be transparent and made on reasonable grounds.Admission authorities must consult on any change to their admissions arrangements, including introducing a new feeder school, to ensure that any local impacts are considered. Once set, anyone who believes a school's admission arrangements are unfair or unlawful can object to the Independent Schools Adjudicator.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that motorway and service station operators provide a sufficient number of accessible parking bays for disabled motorists.

The Department for Transport sets out minimum car parking requirements for disabled users at motorway service areas, motorway rest areas and all-purpose trunk road service areas in Department for Transport Circular 01/2022 Strategic road network and the delivery of sustainable development.At motorway service areas (MSAs) the minimum car parking requirement for disabled users is 5% of the number of car parking spaces required. Where that number falls below 5, a minimum of 5 spaces shall be provided. There is also a minimum of two additional car parking spaces for disabled users for lodges (hotels located at MSAs). The minimum parking requirements for caravan/motorhome/vehicle and trailer parking for disabled users is 5% of the number of parking spaces required for these vehicles, and where the number falls below 2, a minimum of 2 spaces shall be providedThe parking requirements for a motorway rest area are half of those required for a motorway service area rounded up to a whole number as necessary.The minimum car parking requirements for disabled users at all-purpose trunk road service areas is 3 spaces and an additional minimum of 2 spaces for lodges. The minimum parking requirements for caravan/motorhome/vehicle and trailer parking for disabled users is 1.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has considered streamlining adoption processes for (a) sewers and (b) drainage systems where (i) easements and (ii) multiple landownerships delay adoption by water companies.

Almost all private sewers, lateral drains, and pumping stations built before 2011 should have been adopted by water companies. In cases where adoption has not occurred, householders are advised to contact Ofwat. The Government is committed to using legislation to reform the water sector and will continue to do so where necessary. Following the Independent Water Commission’s final report, government will examine its recommendations and how best to address the problems caused by unadopted sewerage.

Whether he plans to support the development of new hydroelectric projects in the North West.

Officials continue to engage with the British Hydropower Association regarding the future role of the UK’s remaining small-scale hydropower resource, estimated to be a maximum technical potential of around 1.5GW, in supporting the UK energy system. This includes consideration of opportunities in regions such as the North West. Furthermore, the Smart Export Guarantee, which came into force on 1 January 2020, requires major electricity suppliers to offer a tariff for electricity exported by small low-carbon generators, including small-scale hydro.

Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to review housing allocation guidance to ensure that care leavers’ (a) welfare and (b) community ties are taken into account when determining (i) local connection and (ii) housing priority.

Local authorities have discretion to manage their housing registers (waiting lists) and are free to develop solutions that make best use of their social housing stock. Many local authorities have adopted a residency or local connection test for social housing which requires people to have a well-established local association or to have lived in the area for a certain period before they can put their name on the housing waiting list. Statutory guidance also makes clear that local authorities are expected to take proper account of special circumstances, by making provision for appropriate exceptions. We recognise that not all care leavers wish to settle in areas that they have a local connection to. As a result, we laid regulations to exempt care leavers under 25 from local connection or residency tests in order to access social housing. These regulations came into force on 10 July 2025. Statutory guidance was also updated to strongly encourage local authorities to give the same level of priority to those care leavers who have been placed in their authority area and wish to stay, as their own care leavers whom they have a duty to provide support and assistance up to age 25. Local authorities should also consider exempting care leavers more broadly to recognise that a lack of family stability and their experiences whilst in or leaving care might mean that some care leavers may not have a tangible connection to an area. The guidance on social housing allocations, which the government keeps under review, can be found on gov.uk here.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of support provided to care leavers transitioning to independent living (a) in general and (b) housed outside their home local authority.

The move to independence is a critical milestone in any young person’s life. Care leavers should expect the same level of care and support that others would expect from a parent.The local authority responsible for their care should make sure they have the skills, confidence, support and opportunities to thrive. This includes offering them more than one chance as they grapple with the responsibilities of adulthood.Ofsted is responsible for assessing the adequacy of support for care leavers in each local authority and, as part of its inspection of local authority children’s services, has a specific remit to set out the key strengths and areas for improvement on the experiences and progress of care leavers.We recognise the additional challenges faced by young people who are placed into care outside their home local authority area. This can leave them with few local connections to either the area they are currently living in, or the area they are expected to return to, and has restricted their access to social housing upon leaving care. We have introduced an exemption to address this so that, as of July 2025, the local area connection test no longer applies to care leavers.

How her Department plans to support integrated care boards to meet demand for NHS orthodontic services within existing budgets before April 2026.

Data on the average waiting times for National Health Service orthodontic treatment is not held centrally.Integrated care board (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry and orthodontic services, to meet the needs of the local population.To support ICBs in their duties, NHS England has published several documents, including clinical policy to support the commissioning of orthodontic activity, to ensure that resources invested by the NHS in specialist care are used in the most effective way and provide the best possible quality and quantity of care for patients. The clinical policy to support the commissioning of orthodontic activity is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/clinical-standards-for-dental-specialties-orthodontics/The Government invests approximately £3 billion in primary care dentistry every year. Dental budgets are ringfenced and NHS England reserves the right to direct that any unused resources are used to improve dental access. Exceptionally, the unspent allocation may be returned to NHS England.The Government wants to ensure that every penny we allocate for dentistry is spent on dentistry, and that the ringfenced dental budget is spent on the patients who need it most.

What guidance his Department has provided to NHS dentists on monitoring patients on orthodontic waiting lists to ensure that their (a) oral health and (b) treatment priority status are kept under review.

Data on the average waiting times for National Health Service orthodontic treatment is not held centrally.Integrated care board (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry and orthodontic services, to meet the needs of the local population.To support ICBs in their duties, NHS England has published several documents, including clinical policy to support the commissioning of orthodontic activity, to ensure that resources invested by the NHS in specialist care are used in the most effective way and provide the best possible quality and quantity of care for patients. The clinical policy to support the commissioning of orthodontic activity is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/clinical-standards-for-dental-specialties-orthodontics/The Government invests approximately £3 billion in primary care dentistry every year. Dental budgets are ringfenced and NHS England reserves the right to direct that any unused resources are used to improve dental access. Exceptionally, the unspent allocation may be returned to NHS England.The Government wants to ensure that every penny we allocate for dentistry is spent on dentistry, and that the ringfenced dental budget is spent on the patients who need it most.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that care leavers are able to remain in areas they have (a) links to and (b) family connections in.

Local authorities have discretion to manage their housing registers (waiting lists) and are free to develop solutions that make best use of their social housing stock. Many local authorities have adopted a residency or local connection test for social housing which requires people to have a well-established local association or to have lived in the area for a certain period before they can put their name on the housing waiting list. Statutory guidance also makes clear that local authorities are expected to take proper account of special circumstances, by making provision for appropriate exceptions. We recognise that not all care leavers wish to settle in areas that they have a local connection to. As a result, we laid regulations to exempt care leavers under 25 from local connection or residency tests in order to access social housing. These regulations came into force on 10 July 2025. Statutory guidance was also updated to strongly encourage local authorities to give the same level of priority to those care leavers who have been placed in their authority area and wish to stay, as their own care leavers whom they have a duty to provide support and assistance up to age 25. Local authorities should also consider exempting care leavers more broadly to recognise that a lack of family stability and their experiences whilst in or leaving care might mean that some care leavers may not have a tangible connection to an area. The guidance on social housing allocations, which the government keeps under review, can be found on gov.uk here.

What recent estimate she has made of average waiting times for NHS orthodontic treatment for children and young people; and what steps her Department is taking to reduce waiting times.

Data on the average waiting times for National Health Service orthodontic treatment is not held centrally.Integrated care board (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry and orthodontic services, to meet the needs of the local population.To support ICBs in their duties, NHS England has published several documents, including clinical policy to support the commissioning of orthodontic activity, to ensure that resources invested by the NHS in specialist care are used in the most effective way and provide the best possible quality and quantity of care for patients. The clinical policy to support the commissioning of orthodontic activity is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/clinical-standards-for-dental-specialties-orthodontics/The Government invests approximately £3 billion in primary care dentistry every year. Dental budgets are ringfenced and NHS England reserves the right to direct that any unused resources are used to improve dental access. Exceptionally, the unspent allocation may be returned to NHS England.The Government wants to ensure that every penny we allocate for dentistry is spent on dentistry, and that the ringfenced dental budget is spent on the patients who need it most.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support (a) local authorities and (b) residents where housing developments cannot be adopted because developers have gone into liquidation.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to question UIN 81305 on 24 October 2025.