Written questions by Bedford.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of lowering the age of driving to 16.

The Department is not considering lowering the driving age to 16. Every life lost on our roads is a tragedy and that is especially the case for young people who are disproportionately involved in road collisions. That is why the Road Safety Strategy focuses on improved education for learner drivers. This includes consulting on a Minimum Learning Period before learner drivers can take their practical driving test. This would allow learners more time to gain essential experience, for example in different weather conditions, before driving independently and reduce the risk to themselves and other drivers.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether UK pets that have an EU pet passport will continue to be able to travel to the EU under that passport, and not require an Animal Health Certificate to do so after 22 April 2026.

Pets leaving Great Britain must comply with the relevant requirements as determined by the country of destination. Defra always advises pet owners to consult with the relevant authorities in the country of destination if any pet travel requirements for movements from Great Britain are unclear. Defra understands that updated EU rules governing the non‑commercial movement of pets into the EU are scheduled to come into force on 22 April 2026. The EU has yet to publish guidance on how their updated rules will be applied and any relevant transitional arrangements. Defra is actively working to confirm the details of the new requirements with the EU and will update our guidance to pet owners on the relevant documentary requirements once the EU have confirmed their position.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of lowering the age for deployable service-personnel to 16.

All recruitment into the UK military is voluntary and no young person under the age of 18 years may join our Armed Forces unless their application is accompanied by the formal written consent of their parent or guardian. We take the duty of care towards all recruits seriously, in particular those under 18 years of age. We have robust, effective, and independently verified safeguards in place to ensure that under-18s are cared for properly. Service personnel aged under 18 are not deployed on hostile operations outside the UK or on any operations where they could be exposed to hostilities; we have no plans to change that policy. All new recruits, regardless of age, can discharge within their first three to six months of Service. Our policies on under-18s in Service comply with national and international law. In addition to the comprehensive welfare system that is in place for all Service personnel, we remain fully committed to meeting our obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, and have taken steps to bestow special safeguards on young people under the age of 18. Further, the provision of education and training for 16-year-old school leavers not only provides a route into the Armed Forces that complies with Government education policy and offers a significant foundation for development, but it also enables access to training in literacy and numeracy, as well as enrolment in apprenticeships. Ofsted regularly inspects our care of newly joined young recruits, and we are very proud of the standards we achieve.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of lowering the age for alcohol purchasing to 16.

The Government has no plans to lower the legal age for purchasing alcohol from 18 in England and Wales.This is consistent with the Licensing Act 2003 objective of protecting children from harm.It remains an offence to sell alcohol to under-18s and licensed premises must operate robust age-verification policies, as set out in the mandatory licensing conditions and statutory guidance.

What recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of National Insurance changes on the closure rate of charities.

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN set out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts. More widely, the UK tax regime for charities, including the exemption from paying business rates, is among the most generous of anywhere in the world. Tax reliefs for charities and their donors were worth over £6 billion for the tax year to April 2025, of which gift aid made up just over £2.5 billion and business rates relief over £2.7 billion.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of lowering the age of smoking and vaping to 16 year olds on the impact of 16 year olds.

Smoking is the number one preventable cause of death, disability, and ill health. It claims the lives of approximately 80,000 people a year in the United Kingdom and kills up to two-thirds of its long-term users.Three quarters of smokers wish they had never started smoking but are unable to due to the addictive nature of tobacco. Raising the age of sale for smoking from 16 to 18 years old reduced prevalence in this age group by 30%. In addition, people who start smoking under the age of 18 years old have higher levels of nicotine dependence compared to those starting over 21 years old, and are less likely to make a quit attempt and successfully quit.The landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill will help deliver our ambition for a smoke-free UK. It will enable us to create a smoke-free generation, gradually ending the sale of tobacco products across the country and breaking the cycle of addiction and disadvantage.Vaping is less harmful than smoking and can be an effective quit aid, but is not risk-free. The health advice is clear, that young people and those who have never smoked should not vape or be encouraged to vape.The age of sale for nicotine vapes is 18 years old. Due to the risk of harm and addiction, we are not considering reducing the age of sale for vaping. Whilst non-nicotine vapes and nicotine products are not currently subject to specific age of sale regulations, the Tobacco and Vapes Bill aligns the law for these products, ensuring consistency across vapes and nicotine products so that all these products are subject to an age of sale of 18 years old.

Whether he plans to review his decision as outlined in his answer to me within UIN 110638.

As outlined in the previous answer, there are no plans to abolish the House of Lords Appointments Commission.

On how many occasions in the last five years Work Capability Assessors have exceeded minimum daily assessment requirements.

The Department for Work and Pensions has not set a specified number of Work Capability Assessments that health professionals (HP) are expected to complete per day. The number of assessments completed can vary depending on the type of assessment (telephone, video, or face‑to‑face), the claimant’s condition, and any additional evidence required, as these appointments have fixed time slots and are delivered through different channels. While we do have expectations for the total number of assessments conducted by Functional Assessment Service (FAS) suppliers, these would be aggregate monthly numbers across their entire workforce, not individual targets for specific HPs.

Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer about the potential impact of budget changes to betting and gaming levies on the viability of British sports.

The Government recognises the significant contribution that racing and other sports make to the nation’s economy and sporting landscape. DCMS and HMT Ministers have regular engagement on betting and gaming levies.

How many Work Capability Assessments received Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity, Limited Capability for Work and Fit for Work awards in the last five years.

The department regularly publishes Universal Credit Work Capability Assessment (UC WCA) statistics, with monthly UC WCA decision outcomes, currently available from April 2019 to August 2025, shown in Table 6 of the latest data tables and on Stat-Xplore in the UC WCA Decision Outcomes dataset. The next release, covering decision outcomes to November 2025, is scheduled for 09:30am on 12 March 2026. The published UC WCA statistics include claimants who have been moved from Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) under the Move to UC programme, although such claimants would not have had a new assessment and their previous status under ESA will have been carried over. Consequently, the Stat-Xplore statistics overstate the number of health-related claimants with new Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity and Limited Capability for Work decisions but ESA transitions have been separated out in Table 6 of the data tables. Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract information.

How many Work Capability Assessments were (a) curtailed and (b) closed early in the last year for which data is available.

The Department for Work and Pensions does not hold or publish statistics on the number of Work Capability Assessments (WCAs) that have been curtailed or closed early, either over the last five years or in the most recent year for which data is available. Published statistical releases on Employment and Support Allowance and Universal Credit WCAs report only on completed assessments and do not include information on curtailed or discontinued assessments.

What discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer in respect to trends in unemployment since July 2024.

Since November 2024, employment is up by over 454,000, youth employment by 126,000, and the ethnic minority employment rate has risen to 69.9%. The UK’s employment rate has remained stable at 75% over the past year and we’ve seen other positive labour market trends. While unemployment has risen slightly to 5.2%, this is still below the average unemployment rate seen under the last government. Crucially, part of the rise in unemployment is driven by the fall in inactivity as more people are actively seeking work.

What discussions he has had with the Chancellor about the trends in youth unemployment since July 2024.

This Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. For many years our young people have not had the opportunity and support they deserve. Under the last government, between 2021 and 2024, the number of young people not in education, employment or training increased by 250,000.This Government’s ambition is to transform young people’s prospects, by ensuring every one of them has the chance to earn or learn through the Youth Guarantee. That is why the Government is investing £2.5 billion over the next three years into the Youth Guarantee and additional investment to the Growth and Skills Levy to back young people. This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.This includes the delivery of eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in England, expansion of Youth Hubs to more than 360 areas across Great Britain and introduction of a new Youth Guarantee Gateway in Jobcentres. The Gateway will provide 16-24-year-olds on Universal Credit a dedicated session and follow-up support to help them move into work, training or education.This investment will also create around 300,000 more opportunities to gain workplace experience and training, including up to 150,000 work experience placements and up to 145,000 employer-designed training opportunities, such as Sector-based Work Academy Programmes, which offer participants a guaranteed job interview at the end.In addition, the Government is taking action to support employers to recruit and train young people, helping to unlock up to 200,000 more employment and apprenticeship opportunities. This includes a new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for employers who hire 18–24-year-olds who have been on Universal Credit for over six months, a new £2,000 apprenticeship incentive for small and medium sized employers hiring 16–24-year-old, and the Jobs Guarantee scheme, providing long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds with a fully funded six month job.The Government will also prioritise prevention, building on measures announced in the Skills White Paper. The Government will improve support in schools, monitor attendance, increase access to work experience and work with local authorities to pilot auto-enrolling young people in further education, if needed.Finally, the Government is considering how we might go further. The Right Honourable Alan Milburn is leading on an investigation of the rise in youth inactivity with a particular focus on the impact of mental health conditions and disability and expected to report in Summer 2026.

What information her Department holds on whether anyone that has been removed from the UK in 2026 has subsequently re-entered the country via small boat.

This specific information is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant date could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.Statistics on daily small boat arrivals to the UK are published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/migrants-detected-crossing-the-english-channel-in-small-boats and information and statistics on returns can be read at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-december-2025/how-many-people-are-returned-from-the-uk.These show a 21% increase in enforced returns and a 23% increase in asylum‑related returns in 2025 compared with the previous year. Individuals who subsequently attempt to re-enter the UK illegally will be subject to enforcement action in line with existing immigration laws and their case will be considered for expediated return.

What key performance indicators are used to monitor private contractors providing PIP assessments.

Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) hold Personal Independence Payment assessment suppliers to a robust set of contractual performance measures to ensure that assessments are delivered to a high standard. Under the Functional Assessment Services (FAS) contract, suppliers are required to meet or exceed a series of Target Performance Levels (TPLs), which collectively determine overall contractual performance. In addition to TPLs, suppliers are also expected to meet a number of contractual obligations. The TPLs and obligations that all assessment suppliers must adhere to can be found in part 1 of the FAS Contract available on contract finder.GOV.UK.

How many unannounced visits his Department conducted to PIP face-to-face assessment centres in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

The department undertakes visits to Personal Independence Payment assessment centres for a range of reasons, including performance and operational oversight, contractual assurance activity, and estates‑related checks.The department does not centrally record whether such visits are announced or unannounced. Therefore, the information requested on the number of unannounced visits undertaken in 2024 or 2025 is not available.

Whether she had discussions with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the potential impact of raising betting duty on Greyhound Racing alongside general sports duty in 2027; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of bringing betting duty in line with the rate of duty on horse racing.

At Budget 2025, the government announced a package of changes to gambling duties which will raise over £1 billion per year to support the public finances and forms part of our ambition to create a fair, modern and sustainable tax system. As part of this package, remote betting will see an increase from 15% to 25% from 1 April 2027. The government is protecting horseracing from these changes as horserace bets are already subject to a mandatory 10% levy. Recognising this unique position, there will therefore be no change to the duty for bets on UK horseracing, whether in person or online. While operators can pay a voluntary levy of 0.6 per cent on greyhound bets, they are not subject to the same 10 per cent mandatory levy that bets on horseracing are.

When are the private contracts for PIP assessments reviewed; and what ongoing scrutiny does his Department carry out on these contractors.

The Functional Assessment Service (FAS) contracts (which include the PIP assessment service) are reviewed on an ongoing basis as part of comprehensive contract and performance management undertaken by the Department, ensuring contractors are held to account in fulfilling their contractual obligations.

How his Department incentivises private contractors to increase face-to-face assessments.

Functional Assessment Service (FAS) contracts set clear targets that incentivise delivery of all assessments. Contracts also include a requirement for the delivery of face to face assessments.

What steps he is taking to help increase physiotherapy employment opportunities for the cohort graduating in 2026.

Decisions on the employment of newly qualified physiotherapists are a matter for individual National Health Service trusts which manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are working closely with NHS England, employers, and educators to improve the transition into the workforce.