Written questions by French.

Whether he will issue guidance to the NHS on recruitment the recruitment of domestic graduates and non-UK applicants.

On 8 December 2025, the Government put an offer in writing to the British Medical Association Resident Doctors Committee which would put in place emergency legislation in the new year which would prioritise United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland medical graduates for foundation training, and prioritise UK and Republic of Ireland medical graduates and doctors who have worked in the National Health Service for a significant period of time for specialty training. This would apply to current applicants for training posts starting in 2026, and every year after that.Other measures in the offer include creating 4,000 more specialty training places, with 1,000 of these brought forward to this year, cost related measures, such as reimbursement for exam fees, to address the unique costs that resident doctors face, and increasing the less than full time allowance by 50% to £1,500.This is in addition to steps already taken by NHS England in September to tackle competition for speciality training places this year by changing General Medical Council registration requirements and limiting the number of applications that can be submitted by individuals.We have also made significant progress over the past year to improve the working lives of resident doctors. This includes agreeing an improved exception reporting system which will ensure doctors are compensated fairly for additional work, reviewing how resident doctors rotate through their training, and reforming and rationalising statutory and mandatory training to reduce unnecessary burden and repetition. In August 2025, NHS England published The NHS’s 10 Point Plan which set out actions for NHS England and trusts to improve resident doctors working conditions by fixing unacceptable working practices and getting the basics right for resident doctors. It aims to tackle basic issues like payroll errors, poor rota management, lack of access to rest facilities and hot food, and unnecessarily repeating training.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of expanding domestic training places compared instead of continuing current levels of international recruitment.

On 8 December 2025, the Government put an offer in writing to the British Medical Association Resident Doctors Committee which would put in place emergency legislation in the new year which would prioritise United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland medical graduates for foundation training, and prioritise UK and Republic of Ireland medical graduates and doctors who have worked in the National Health Service for a significant period of time for specialty training. This would apply to current applicants for training posts starting in 2026, and every year after that.Other measures in the offer include creating 4,000 more specialty training places, with 1,000 of these brought forward to this year, cost related measures, such as reimbursement for exam fees, to address the unique costs that resident doctors face, and increasing the less than full time allowance by 50% to £1,500.This is in addition to steps already taken by NHS England in September to tackle competition for speciality training places this year by changing General Medical Council registration requirements and limiting the number of applications that can be submitted by individuals.We have also made significant progress over the past year to improve the working lives of resident doctors. This includes agreeing an improved exception reporting system which will ensure doctors are compensated fairly for additional work, reviewing how resident doctors rotate through their training, and reforming and rationalising statutory and mandatory training to reduce unnecessary burden and repetition. In August 2025, NHS England published The NHS’s 10 Point Plan which set out actions for NHS England and trusts to improve resident doctors working conditions by fixing unacceptable working practices and getting the basics right for resident doctors. It aims to tackle basic issues like payroll errors, poor rota management, lack of access to rest facilities and hot food, and unnecessarily repeating training.

Media and Sport, what data relating to local sports infrastructure her Department holds; and whether she holds datasets on local authority breakdowns.

The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. The Government has invested £98 million through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme across the UK in 2025/26, funding projects such as new and upgraded grass pitches, pitch maintenance equipment and floodlights. The Government published a list of funded Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities projects on 9 June 2025 on Gov.uk. The lists can be found here and include funded projects that are either due to start, in progress or complete. We are committed to publishing a regularly updated list of funded and completed projects, with the next to be published in 2026. Our delivery partner for the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities programme in England, the Football Foundation, plans its investment pipeline using Local Football Facility Plans (LFFPs) for each local authority, which are developed in partnership with local authorities so as to understand the needs of each community. Local Football Facilities Plans are publicly available here. Following the Spending Review we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans. In addition the Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding in areas of greatest need to tackle inactivity levels through community-led solutions. According to Sport England’s Active Places database, as of December 2025 there are 59,794 grass football pitches and 6,634 artificial grass pitches in England. More details are available here. This government also takes our responsibility to heritage seriously. For this year alone, we have committed nearly £60 million of funding for heritage, including £15m for Heritage at Risk. Local Authorities can also apply for funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s’ Arms-Length-Bodies, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which provides around c.£300 million in grants per year, and Historic England, who provide grants and advice.

Media and Sport, what funding allocations have been made to local authorities for the protection and improvement of (a) sports pitches and (b) heritage landscapes since 4 July 2024; and if she will publish a breakdown by local authority.

The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. The Government has invested £98 million through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme across the UK in 2025/26, funding projects such as new and upgraded grass pitches, pitch maintenance equipment and floodlights. The Government published a list of funded Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities projects on 9 June 2025 on Gov.uk. The lists can be found here and include funded projects that are either due to start, in progress or complete. We are committed to publishing a regularly updated list of funded and completed projects, with the next to be published in 2026. Our delivery partner for the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities programme in England, the Football Foundation, plans its investment pipeline using Local Football Facility Plans (LFFPs) for each local authority, which are developed in partnership with local authorities so as to understand the needs of each community. Local Football Facilities Plans are publicly available here. Following the Spending Review we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans. In addition the Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding in areas of greatest need to tackle inactivity levels through community-led solutions. According to Sport England’s Active Places database, as of December 2025 there are 59,794 grass football pitches and 6,634 artificial grass pitches in England. More details are available here. This government also takes our responsibility to heritage seriously. For this year alone, we have committed nearly £60 million of funding for heritage, including £15m for Heritage at Risk. Local Authorities can also apply for funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s’ Arms-Length-Bodies, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which provides around c.£300 million in grants per year, and Historic England, who provide grants and advice.

Media and Sport, what data her Department holds on the (i) number, (ii) type, and (ii) condition of publicly accessible sports pitches in each local authority area in England; and if she will publish that data.

The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. The Government has invested £98 million through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme across the UK in 2025/26, funding projects such as new and upgraded grass pitches, pitch maintenance equipment and floodlights. The Government published a list of funded Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities projects on 9 June 2025 on Gov.uk. The lists can be found here and include funded projects that are either due to start, in progress or complete. We are committed to publishing a regularly updated list of funded and completed projects, with the next to be published in 2026. Our delivery partner for the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities programme in England, the Football Foundation, plans its investment pipeline using Local Football Facility Plans (LFFPs) for each local authority, which are developed in partnership with local authorities so as to understand the needs of each community. Local Football Facilities Plans are publicly available here. Following the Spending Review we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans. In addition the Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding in areas of greatest need to tackle inactivity levels through community-led solutions. According to Sport England’s Active Places database, as of December 2025 there are 59,794 grass football pitches and 6,634 artificial grass pitches in England. More details are available here. This government also takes our responsibility to heritage seriously. For this year alone, we have committed nearly £60 million of funding for heritage, including £15m for Heritage at Risk. Local Authorities can also apply for funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s’ Arms-Length-Bodies, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which provides around c.£300 million in grants per year, and Historic England, who provide grants and advice.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to require local authorities to collect and publish baseline data on current (a) sports facilities and (b) heritage landscapes.

My Department has not made an assessment of the adequacy of the (a) distribution and (b) availability of sports pitches by local authorities. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that planning policies should be based on robust and up-to-date assessments of the need for open space, sport and recreation facilities (including quantitative or qualitative deficits or surpluses) and opportunities for new provision. Information gained from the assessments should be used to determine what open space, sport and recreational provision is needed, which plans should then seek to accommodate. The NPPF also sets out policies to maintain pitches and to conserve protected landscapes and designated heritage assets, all of which are important material considerations to be taken into account when dealing with applications for development which may affect them.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the (a) distribution and (b) availability of sports pitches by local authorities.

My Department has not made an assessment of the adequacy of the (a) distribution and (b) availability of sports pitches by local authorities. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that planning policies should be based on robust and up-to-date assessments of the need for open space, sport and recreation facilities (including quantitative or qualitative deficits or surpluses) and opportunities for new provision. Information gained from the assessments should be used to determine what open space, sport and recreational provision is needed, which plans should then seek to accommodate. The NPPF also sets out policies to maintain pitches and to conserve protected landscapes and designated heritage assets, all of which are important material considerations to be taken into account when dealing with applications for development which may affect them.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of business tax rises on the physical activity sector.

The Government recognises the important contribution that sport and physical activity make to health and wellbeing in the UK.At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties, including those in the hospitality sector as they recover from the pandemic. To support with bill increases, at the Budget, the Government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years, including protection for ratepayers seeing their bills increase because of the revaluation. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down. This means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.More broadly, the Government is delivering a long overdue reform to rebalance the business rates system and support the high street, as promised in our manifesto.The Government is doing this by introducing permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties, worth nearly £900 million per year and benefiting over 750,000 properties, including sports and physical activity centres with rateable values under £500k.Additionally, businesses within the physical activity sector can continue to benefit from measures including the increase in the Employment Allowance to £10,500 and the Government remains committed to the small profits rate, under which companies with profits of £50,000 or less are subject to a 19 per cent rate. Marginal relief for companies with profits of between £50,000 and £250,000 means only around 10 per cent of actively trading companies pay the full main rate of 25 per cent. This means firms within the physical activity sector that meet these conditions will continue to face lower effective corporation tax rates.

What assessment she has made of the cumulative effect of (a) increasing betting duties on seaside arcades, (b) a nightly levy on hotel stays, (c) the abolition of Favoured Tax Regime for Furnished Holiday Lets, (d) changes to business rates relief, (e) the increase in Employer National Insurance Contributions and (f) the increase in the National Minium Wage for young people on businesses.

The Government has carefully assessed the cumulative impacts of measures announced over recent Budgets on businesses and households. Taken together, these measures raise revenue to support the public finances in a fair way, whilst providing targeted support. The Government recognises that recent policy changes will have combined effects on some businesses. Where changes are made, relevant assessments and impact notes are published to inform stakeholders. The Treasury continues to engage with affected sectors to understand the challenges they face and to ensure the UK remains a competitive place to do business. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and keep our policy approach under review, with future tax decisions taken at fiscal events under the normal process.

How much revenue was generated in 2023/2024 from business rates on hereditaments that are being used for the provision of (a) sport, leisure and facilities to visiting members of the public and (b) casinos, gambling clubs and bingo halls; and how much the same venues are forecast to pay in 2025/26 and 2026/27.

The Government does not hold data on the amount of business rates revenue raised by different types of hereditaments.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with international counterparts on protecting the right of nations to self-determination.

Article 1 (2) of the United Nations Charter establishes that one of the organisation's founding purposes is to develop friendly international relations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples. We continue to work with our UN colleagues and international partners on the basis of that charter.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of business tax rises on physical activity levels.

The Government recognises the important contribution that sport and physical activity make to health and wellbeing in the UK.At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since Covid, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties, including those in the hospitality sector as they recover from the pandemic. To support with bill increases, at the Budget, the Government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion over the next three years, including protection for ratepayers seeing their bills increase because of the revaluation. As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down. This means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.More broadly, the Government is delivering a long overdue reform to rebalance the business rates system and support the high street, as promised in our manifesto.The Government is doing this by introducing permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties, worth nearly £900 million per year and benefiting over 750,000 properties, including sports and physical activity centres with rateable values under £500k.Additionally, businesses within the physical activity sector can continue to benefit from measures including the increase in the Employment Allowance to £10,500 and the Government remains committed to the small profits rate, under which companies with profits of £50,000 or less are subject to a 19 per cent rate. Marginal relief for companies with profits of between £50,000 and £250,000 means only around 10 per cent of actively trading companies pay the full main rate of 25 per cent. This means firms within the physical activity sector that meet these conditions will continue to face lower effective corporation tax rates.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 October to Question 77717 on Betting: Excise Duties, if she will list relevant engagements with ministers.

The Chancellor discusses a variety of issues with Ministers from other government departments throughout the year.

Media and Sport, if she will publish the most recent data held by her Department on the number of registered parks and gardens within each local authority area.

Registered parks and gardens in England are designated by Historic England. Data on the number that exist within each local authority area can be found by consulting the online National Heritage List for England. Data on the number of designed landscapes in each local authority that are currently classed as being at risk can be found by consulting Historic England’s online Heritage at Risk Register. Both resources can be filtered by local authority.

Media and Sport, how many (a) registered parks, (b) gardens and (c) designed landscapes are currently classed as at risk in each local authority.

Registered parks and gardens in England are designated by Historic England. Data on the number that exist within each local authority area can be found by consulting the online National Heritage List for England. Data on the number of designed landscapes in each local authority that are currently classed as being at risk can be found by consulting Historic England’s online Heritage at Risk Register. Both resources can be filtered by local authority.

Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2025 to Question 78837 on Rural Areas: Economic Situation, what assessment she has made of the difference between the increase in costs for horseracing due to (a) the change in business rates, (b) the increase in the national minimum wage, and (c) the increase in Employer's National Insurance Contributions and the expected levy yield.

We continue to engage with racing and betting stakeholders to understand the impact of recent changes made by His Majesty’s Treasury. The horserace betting levy is based on the profits of bookmakers, which fluctuate according to the results of races. The levy is designed in this way so that the risk is shared between betting and racing stakeholders. The levy, which reached £108m in 2024/5 represents a small proportion of racing’s overall income when compared with contributions from betting operators for media rights, income from racegoers and contributions from owners and trainers. The levy yield for the year to 31 March 2025 is a new high since the Levy collection reforms of 2017/18, exceeding the 2023/24 figure of £105m.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of planning applications affecting sports pitches over the last five years by local authority.

My Department has not made a specific assessment about the adequacy of the types of application in question. Sport England received 1,164 statutory consultations in 2024/25, objecting to 30% of cases.

Communities and Local Government, if he will set out a timeline for bringing section 102 of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 into force.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer to UIN 69488 on 2 September 2025.

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 November, to Question 87899 on Delivery Services: Driving Licences, if she will (a) publish the letter referred to from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Transport, (b) make an assessment of the potential impact of people engaged in delivery work without valid documentation on road safety and (c) review the training, testing, and licensing requirements for motorcycles.

a) I have placed copies of the letter referred to in my answer to Question 87899 in the Library of the House. b) The Department has no plans to assess the potential impact of people engaged in delivery work without valid documentation on road safety. This is a matter of enforcement of the law and for the police to decide, on the evidence of each individual case, whether an offence has been committed and the appropriate action to take. c) We are considering plans to review the existing requirements for motorcycle training, testing, and licensing that take account of both long-standing plans in the Department for Transport and the Driver Vehicle and Standards Agency, and proposals received from the motorcycle sector. The Road Safety Strategy is under development and will include a broad range of policies. We intend to publish the Strategy this year.

Pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2025 to Question 84932 on Business and Tourism: Greater London, if she will make an assessment of the potential economic impact of organised protests on tourism and businesses in London.

The Home Office does not plan to make a formal assessment of the potential economic impact of organised protests on tourism or businesses in London. Responsibility for tourism policy rests primarily with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, while business resilience and economic analysis are led by the Department for Business and Trade.The Government continues to work closely with police to ensure their public order powers are used effectively and we continue to work closely with the Metropolitan Police Service and to ensure that lawful protest is facilitated while minimising disruption to the public and economic activity.