Written questions by Mishra.

If she has considered the merits of extending Pupil Premium funding to support disadvantaged students aged 16 to 19.

The 16 to 19 funding formula includes extra funding for disadvantaged students made up of two blocks: Disadvantage Block 1 funding recognises that there are additional costs incurred in engaging, recruiting, and retaining young people from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Disadvantage Block 2 funding accounts for the additional costs incurred for teaching and supporting students who have low prior attainment to achieve their learning goals. This is defined as not achieving English and/or mathematics GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 by the end of year 11 (typically age 16). English and maths funding is also available to support students who have not achieved a GCSE grade 4 or above in English and mathematics to participate across all study programmes and T Levels. For the 2025/26 academic year, the mathematics and English funding rate rose by over 11%, alongside a nearly 7% increase in disadvantage funding and we have allocated over £1 billion for disadvantage block 1, disadvantage block 2 and English and mathematics funding.

Whether he will implement stricter Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards regulations for commercial properties from 2027, and whether the responsibility for complying with the regulations will lie solely with the property owner.

Awaiting answer.

Whether she has made an assessment of the number of fraudulent Blue Badges in circulation in (a) Stockport constituency, (b) Greater Manchester and (c) England.

The department does not collect data on the number of fraudulent Blue Badges in circulation. Local authorities are responsible for the enforcement of the scheme in their area and have been given powers to crack down on fraud and misuse, helping to protect the rights of those who rely on the Blue Badge scheme.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of increased stamp prices for businesses on affordability for consumers of those products, such as magazine media.

As an independent business, Royal Mail’s management sets the prices for its services. The government does not have a role in the company’s day-to-day commercial or operational decisions. In setting its prices however, Royal Mail must work within the regulatory framework set by Ofcom, the independent regulator.Affordability is at the heart of Ofcom's regulatory regime, and it continues to monitor the market, including affordability and impacts on both consumers and businesses. Ofcom is conducting a review of pricing and affordability and will consult on any proposals ahead of the expiry of the current control on Second Class letter prices in early 2027.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made a recent assessment of the risks associated with the use of paraquat.

It has been illegal to sell or use paraquat since 2007. As paraquat has been off the UK market for a number of years, HSE has not carried out a recent risk assessment.

Whether his department has made an assessment of the potential merits of delivering the Synergy payroll service in-house.

Awaiting answer.

Whether she has made an assessment of the condition of roads in Stockport constituency; and what recent funding has been allocated there for pothole repairs.

The Department published a new traffic light rating system for all local highway authorities in England on 11 January which rates authorities red, amber or green based on: the condition of their roads, how much they spend to maintain their roads, and whether they do so using best practice. This system allows the Government to target support to places that need extra help and red-rated authorities will receive dedicated support to bring them in line with best practice.Stockport received an overall amber rating, with individual scorecards showing amber for condition, green for spend and amber for best practice. More information on the ratings is available online, at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-road-maintenance-ratings/local-road-maintenance-ratings-2025-to-2026.Stockport sits within the Greater Manchester Combined County Authority (GMCA). GMCA receives baseline highways maintenance funding through its City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) which runs from 2022-27. In 2026/27, GMCA will also receive £15.5 million in highways incentive funding. From 2027/28, all highways maintenance funding will be consolidated into GMCA’s £2.4 billion Transport for City Regions (TCR) capital settlement, which will provide the bulk of future funding.

Innovation and Technology, whether her Department plans to take steps to reduce the level of public sector reliance on large technology companies.

Awaiting answer.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of public toilet provision in Stockport constituency.

Local authorities best understand local needs and are therefore best placed to assess and manage toilet provision. However, we recognise the importance of clean, safe public toilet provision and have taken steps to support local leaders. At the 2025 Spending Review, we committed more than £5 billion in new grant funding over the next three years for essential local services such as toilets. In addition, we continue to provide 100% mandatory business rates relief for separately assessed public toilets, reducing ongoing costs for local authorities.

What recent assessment he has made of the resilience of NHS data systems to unauthorised access and attempted data breaches.

All organisations with access to National Health Service patient data and systems must use the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT) to provide annual assurance that they are practising good data security and that personal information is handled correctly. In September 2024, the National Cyber Security Centre’s Cyber Assessment Framework was implemented into the DSPT for large NHS organisations. This enables them to understand and manage their own cyber, and information governance, risks, while maintaining the high standards necessary to protect patients.National cyber teams are tackling the changing cyber risk head-on through their ambitious Cyber Improvement Programme, expanding protection and services to better protect the health and care system. In 2025/26, the Government invested £75 million across health and social care, building on the £375 million invested since 2017.NHS England runs a Cyber Security Operations Centre that can monitor over 1.8 million devices across the NHS, through Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, identifying and responding to threats, including unauthorised access, as they arise. When critical cyber vulnerabilities are identified, NHS England issues a High Severity Alert to warn NHS organisations.NHS England routinely conducts highly specialised ‘Red Teaming’ and Penetration Testing of their data systems to assess their cyber security and resilience. NHS England and the Department have developed a strategy and programme of cyber exercising to test and improve resilience and capacity across the system and regularly exercise our cyber incident response/business continuity capabilities at a local and national level. We are using lessons learned from both recent incidents and exercises to improve processes and policy around our response to cyber incidents. When incidents do occur, NHS England provides a suite of support to help organisations recover quickly, but safely. 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. The National Cyber Security Centre has published guidance for individuals to help them protect against the impact of data breaches.

What steps her Department is taking (a) to ensure that charities operating as member organisations are not precluded from recognition as a body of persons and (b) to safeguard children and young persons participating in brass banding.

The department recognises the valuable role that charities and voluntary organisations play in supporting children and young people to participate in cultural and educational activities, including brass banding. The department is clear that a Body of Persons Approvalmay be applied for by any organisation responsible for putting on a performance involving children. Safeguarding children and young people is a fundamental priority for this government. All organisations involved in brass banding are expected to comply with relevant safeguarding legislation and guidance. This includes effective safeguarding policies, appropriate vetting and training of adults, and clear processes for reporting and responding to concerns, to ensure safe and positive participation for all young people. Moreover, many brass bands operate as Out‑of‑School Settings (providing activities for children, without their parents’ or carers’ supervision). The department has published guidance outlining the safeguarding standards we expect these settings to meet, and free accompanying e-learning.

What his Department is doing to support independent breweries in England.

The Government fully recognises the importance of independent breweries and pubs. We are committed to maintaining a beer and pub sector that is diverse, competitive and rooted in local communities, supporting jobs, investment and growth across towns and villages.We have conducted a review of the beer market to determine whether there are any structural barriers preventing small breweries from accessing pubs, I am currently considering the findings of this review alongside hearing evidence directly from industry stakeholders and representative bodies with whom I am meeting over the next month. This includes meeting with small brewery owners and representatives from the Society of Independent Brewers.Additionally, Small Producer Relief (SPR) supports smaller producers by allowing those producing up to 4,500 hectolitres a year to pay reduced duty on products below 8.5% ABV. At Budget 2025, the Government increased the cash discount for small producers, maintaining the value of SPR relative to main duty rates.

Innovation and Technology, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential implications for its policies of the French Government’s decision to transition public sector desktops to the Linux operating system; and whether she has considered the potential merits of a similar approach in the UK public sector.

The Government is aware of strategic decisions made in France regarding their choice of operating systems. The UK will always be diligent in assessing the benefits to ensure it selects the most appropriate operating system for its context, balancing costs, functionality, upkeep and wider requirements.

What assessment he has made of the barriers faced by leaseholders in accessing Government funding for low-carbon heating upgrades.

The Government recognises that leasehold ownership can create additional complexity, as many must secure consent from freeholders before installations can proceed. The Warm Homes Plan committed to working with relevant organisations on how to remove barriers to low carbon heating installations in leasehold properties. Announced on 21 April, the Government will consult this summer on expanding permitted development rights to make heat pump installation easier, including amending siting restrictions and seeking views on enabling more installations in flats. The Warm Homes: Local Grant and Boiler Upgrade Scheme provide funding to support property owners, including leaseholders, to transition to low‑carbon heating.

What estimate her Department has made of the number of uninsured drivers in (a) Stockport and (b) Greater Manchester.

The Department for Transport has not made an estimate of the number of uninsured drivers in Stockport and Greater Manchester. Across the country, the Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB) estimates that about 300,000 cars are being driven every day without insurance.

Whether his department has made an assessment of the potential merits of delivering the Synergy payroll service in-house.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What recent discussions her Department has had with the insurance industry and relevant regulators on the rising cost of motor insurance in England.

Ministers and officials regularly engage with representatives from the insurance industry and regulatory bodies.Furthermore, in order to fulfil the government’s commitment to tackling the soaring cost of motor insurance in the UK, the cross-government taskforce on motor insurance was formed in October 2024. The taskforce’s final report was published on 10 December 2025 and though the taskforce has now concluded, the government will continue its work to deliver against the actions set out in the report.The annual average cost of cover in 2025 was £564, 9% (£58) lower than the average annual cost in 2024.

Whether her Department has had discussions with Northern Rail and Avanti West Coast on the potential merits of (i) simpler and (ii) cheaper train tickets in (a) Stockport and (b) Greater Manchester.

This Government remains committed to making ticketing simpler and more flexible for passengers. Passengers in Stockport and Greater Manchester are benefiting from simpler fares which were introduced in December 2025. Overall, the change means that the average fare in Greater Manchester fell by 5.6%. Working with operators, Pay As You Go with contactless on rail in Manchester will arrive in December this year as part of the Bee Network expansion, initially covering 17 stations.

What steps his Department is taking to encourage more people to become blood donors in a) Stockport and b) Greater Manchester.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for blood services in England and is delivering initiatives to encourage more people to become blood donors nationally, including in Stockport and across Greater Manchester.This includes targeted partnership work with local employers in Greater Manchester, such as Aon and Deloitte, to engage and support staff to donate at nearby donor centres.NHSBT also funds Community Grants Programme projects in Greater Manchester, including projects delivered with organisations such as:the Sickle Cell Society, which works with universities and partners such as ACS Give Blood to raise awareness of sickle cell disorder and promote blood donation among Black students. Further information is available at the following link: https://www.sicklecellsociety.org/about-us/;Become United, which raises awareness of blood donation within Black African and Caribbean communities, particularly among people facing barriers linked to ethnicity, religion, or refugee status. Further information is available at the following link: https://www.becomeunited.org.uk/; andthe Caribbean and African Health Network, which work with Black African and Caribbean communities to raise awareness of blood donation and address barriers to participation. Further information is available at the following link: https://www.cahn.org.uk/Further information on the Community Grants Programme overall is available at the following link:https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/how-you-can-help/get-involved/community-grants-programme/Additionally, NHSBT has also delivered extensive outreach activity in Greater Manchester, including two mass blood‑typing events held at the Trafford Centre, a three day event, and the Arndale Centre, a seven day event, which are accessible to people living in Stockport and the wider Greater Manchester area.

Media and Sport, what recent discussions her Department has had with Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council on the condition of Reddish library.

The Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 requires all local authorities in England to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service. Each local authority is responsible for assessing the needs of their local communities and designing and maintaining a library service to meet those needs within their available resources. DCMS has held no specific discussions with Stockport Council regarding Reddish library's condition. Building maintenance is an operational matter for the local authority. DCMS only engages with local authorities on this kind of matter where representations allege that the condition of the library building is impacting delivery of library services, meaning the local authority is not delivering its statutory duty.