Written questions by French.

How much was paid to to (a) foreign national offenders and (b) immediate family members of foreign national offenders removed from the UK under the Facilitated Return Scheme in the last 12 months.

Awaiting answer.

How many (a) foreign national offenders and (b) immediate family members of foreign national offenders were removed from the UK under the Facilitated Return Scheme in the last 12 months.

Awaiting answer.

What estimate she has made of the number of drivers using learner driver plates to work.

No assessment has been made of the number of learner drivers driving for work, although learner drivers must be accompanied by an eligible supervising driver on public roads. The safety of anyone driving on our roads is a priority, and that includes those...

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the safety of artificial grass football pitches.

The safety, wellbeing and welfare of everyone taking part in sport is absolutely paramount. Artificial Grass Pitches (AGPs) provide durable, safe, year-round playing surfaces, helping more people to access the benefits of physical activity. We remain comm...

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the current system of electronic monitoring of offenders.

The number of individuals on the electronic monitoring (EM) caseload was most recently published in April 2026. The data from this publication is shown below for the post-release, court sentence and immigration cohorts combined, for the months June 2025 t...

If he will make an estimate of the number of offenders in the electronic monitoring cohort in (a) May 2024-May 2025, and (b) May 2025-May 2026.

The number of individuals on the electronic monitoring (EM) caseload was most recently published in April 2026. The data from this publication is shown below for the post-release, court sentence and immigration cohorts combined, for the months June 2025 t...

If he will make an estimate of the number of offenders in the electronic monitoring cohort that were unmonitored in (a) May 2024-May 2025, and (b) May 2025-May 2026.

The number of individuals on the electronic monitoring (EM) caseload was most recently published in April 2026. The data from this publication is shown below for the post-release, court sentence and immigration cohorts combined, for the months June 2025 t...

What her Department's policy is in relation to tube strikes.

As Transport in London is devolved to TfL, it is for the Mayor of London to manage the impact of any strike action on London’s transport network. The Government encourages all sides to work together to resolve any disputes as quickly as possible.

What assessment she has made of the (a) potential economic impact and (b) potential financial impact of the proposed industrial action by London Underground drivers who are members of the RMT union on businesses in London.

As transport in London is devolved to TfL, the Mayor of London is responsible for managing the impact of strike action on London’s transport network. Nevertheless, the Government continues to encourage all sides to work together to resolve this dispute as quickly as possible.

What steps she is taking to help prevent radicalisation amongst religious groups.

As a society we must not permit those that radicalise others into violence and terrorism to act with impunity. Prevent is about stopping people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism and tackles the ideological causes of terrorism and provides early intervention for people at risk of radicalisation.Although Prevent does not target any one community and deals with all forms of terrorist ideologies, part of this work involves working closely with religious communities and organisations to support them in safeguarding individuals susceptible to radicalisation and disrupting groups that radicalise others, online and in communities.Further information on the number of individuals referred to and supported through the Prevent Programme from April 2024-March 2025 can be found at Individuals referred to Prevent: to March 2025 - GOV.UK

Whether his Department has used the additional enforcement powers for secondary ticketing under section 216 of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 on the use of bots to purchase tickets.

Consumer law enforcement is principally the responsibility of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and Local Authority Trading Standards. Section 216 of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 grants the CMA enforcement functions under the Breaching of Limits on Ticket Sales Regulations 2018. Those regulations make it an offence to use software to purchase tickets in excess of the sales limit set by an event organiser for a UK recreational, sporting or cultural event, where the intent is to secure financial gain. As an independent authority, the CMA has discretion to undertake enforcement action which, according to its prioritisation principles, it considers most appropriate.

With reference to figure of 2 of his Department's document entitled Analytical note on government response to resale of live events tickets consultation, published on 19 December 2025, what assessment his Department has made of the estimated change in the number and value of tickets sold on alternative resale channels and social media resulting from the proposed price cap on (a) the level of potential fraud and (b) consumer protection risks.

The Department has undertaken analysis to estimate the economic impact of introducing a price cap on the ticket resale market. The modelling uses a series of assumptions about how ticket touts might adapt their activities. These assumptions are inherently uncertain. The model assumes that 20% of tickets originally resold by touts on secondary ticketing platforms will instead by resold via alternative channels. We will continue to refine the modelling and further examine the risks associated with resale activity on alternative channels, before publishing an impact assessment when legislation is introduced to Parliament.

Whether he has had recent discussions with (a) NHS England, (b) the Royal Colleges and (c) the Joint Committee on Surgical Training on the future of Training Interface Group fellowships.

The Department and NHS England regularly engage with a wide range of stakeholders on issues relating to medical education and training.NHS England made the decision in 2025 to discontinue central funding of the salary support component of the Training Interface Group (TIG) programme, and to target financial resources more effectively to address regional workforce priorities.Regions or provider organisations that wish to continue developing these skills are still able to recruit, fund, and train staff using the curriculum set by the Joint Committee on Surgical Training.NHS England is also working to understand where they can enhance and support smaller, highly specialised areas of practice. NHS England specialised commissioning teams will feed into this work, which will consider how TIG programmes could be best supported in the future.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of industrial action on (a) commuters within London and (b) commuters from outside London in March 2026.

As Transport in London is devolved to TfL, it is for the Mayor of London to assess and manage the impact of any strike action on London’s transport network. The Government understands, however, that the RMT union has suspended its planned industrial action between Tuesday 24 March and Friday 27 March.

What assessment she has made of the level of international competitiveness of the Video Games Expenditure Credit; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing the (a) tax credit and (b) cap of total core expenditure to 100%.

The Government recognises the importance of the creative industries, including the contribution made by the UK’s video games sector to growth and innovation. We support the sector through the tax system and through funding, and this is a very competitive offer internationally. Video games companies benefit from the Video Games Expenditure Credit (VGEC), which provides a generous tax credit of 34 per cent on UK video games development costs. Some countries offering higher refundable rates but with tighter caps or narrower qualifying expenditure, while the UK’s approach provides a predictable and scalable form of support across a broad base of development costs. Tax support sits alongside the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s new £30 million Games Growth package, designed to back the next generation of start‑up studios and talent and attract further inward investment. The Government keeps the whole tax system under review to ensure it remains effective, targeted and delivers value for money.

What steps she is taking to help reduce crimes committed with catapults, especially against animals.

The Government shares concerns over the misuse of catapults, whether against people, property or wildlife.There are a wide range of laws in place to punish those who misuse catapults. The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of tools and powers that they can use to respond to anti-social behaviour involving catapults. This includes Community Protection Warnings and Notices and Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs). The Prevention of Crime Act 1953 creates the offence of carrying an offensive weapon in a public place and there are significant penalties under the Offences against the Person Act 1861 if a person is deliberately harmed.Specific to animals and birds, the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 protects all wild birds and some wild animals in England and Wales. It is illegal under this Act to deliberately attempt to kill, injure, or harm protected species of wild birds. There are a range of other offences found in further legislation to protect wild animals from cruelty such as the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 and the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Significant sanctions are available to judges to hand down to those convicted of crimes under these Acts.We have noted proposals for new restrictions, and we are actively considering what more might be done around enforcement.

What steps he is taking to help support people with (a) Musculoskeletal conditions and (b) back pain conditions in Old Bexley and Sidcup constituency; and if he will make it his policy to utilise chiropractic capacity to support treatment within the NHS.

To support people with musculoskeletal (MSK) and back pain conditions, we are working to deliver the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) MSK Community Delivery Programme. GIRFT teams are working with health system leaders to further reduce MSK community waiting times, which are the highest of all community waits, and to improve data, metrics, and referral pathways to wider support services.In the Old Bexley and Sidcup constituency, those seeking support for MSK conditions and back pain conditions can access services such as the Bexley MSK Service, which provides specialist care for adults in the Bexley area experiencing a wide range of MSK conditions and which offers personalised treatment plans tailored to individual needs. Launched in Summer 2025, the getUBetter app, commissioned by the NHS South East London Integrated Care Board, is also accessible to Bexley residents aged 16 years old or over and those registered with a Bexley general practice. It offers information on local services, including self-referral options for leisure activities supporting health and wellbeing.NHS England does not nationally commission chiropractic care as it is a complementary and alternative medicine. Integrated care boards can make independent decisions on which health professionals they employ and may commission a limited amount of such treatment.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) business rates and (b) other property-based business taxation on town centres and high streets.

The Government is creating a fairer business rates system that protects the high street. That is why, from April, the Government will introduce new permanently lower multipliers for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. These new multipliers are worth nearly £1 billion per year and will benefit over 750,000 properties, including those in town centres and on the high street. The new RHL multipliers replace the temporary RHL relief that has been winding down since the pandemic. Unlike RHL relief, the new multipliers are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap, meaning all qualifying properties on high streets across England will benefit. In addition, at the Budget, the Government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion to help protect ratepayers seeing large bills increases as a result of the 2026 revaluation. On top of this, pubs and live music venues will benefit from 15% off their new business rates bills from April, ahead of their bills being frozen for two years in real terms.

Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with devolved Governments to ensure prevention, support and treatment for gambling harms is available across the UK.

The Government introduced a statutory gambling levy, a mandatory charge on licensed gambling operators, in April 2025. Funds collected from the levy will be used exclusively for the research, prevention and treatment of gambling harm across Great Britain. The levy has raised just under £120 million in its first year. 20% of these funds will be allocated to research, 30% to prevention and 50% to treatment. Scotland and Wales will receive their appropriate share, to ensure prevention, treatment and support are available across Great Britain. Officials are in frequent contact with officials in the Scottish and Welsh Governments, ensuring a stable transition to the statutory system. Additionally, both Welsh and Scottish officials sit on the Levy Delivery Group and the Levy Programme Board, each meeting quarterly. Terms of reference and membership of these groups can be found here. While the UK Government and Scottish and Welsh Governments are coordinating closely on levy implementation, health policy is a devolved matter.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of restricting ticket resales via peer-to-peer messaging applications on user privacy and encryption.

The government has recently announced plans to introduce a price cap on the resale of live events tickets, which will make it illegal for tickets to be resold for more than their original cost.Our intention is that all businesses that facilitate the resale of live events tickets to UK consumers will be obliged to ensure compliance with the price cap.Detailed work to prepare the new legislation is ongoing, involving further consideration of how platform obligations should be configured.The government will legislate when Parliamentary time allows.