Written questions by Smith.

With reference to the Answer of 24 April 2026 to Question 127583 on Electric Vehicles: Prices, (a) whether her Department has a projected date by which zero emission vehicles will reach purchase price parity with internal combustion engine vehicles and (b) if she will publish the estimated date or date range.

DfT continues to monitor evidence on prices and projections. Prices for electric vehicles have fallen over the last few years, but there is substantial uncertainty around precisely when the average new zero emission car may reach price parity with an average new internal combustion engine vehicle.

With reference to the answer of 24 March 2026 to WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of the flight to Kazakhstan; which Ministers and senior officials approved the visit; how many officials travelled on that occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of the visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.

The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to the Health and Social Care Act 2008 on volunteer mountain rescue teams; and if he will introduce an exemption to ensure that rescue cover provided by such teams is not classified as a regulated activity requiring registration with the Care Quality Commission.

Registration is only required where the service is providing the regulated activity of Treatment of Disease, Disorder or Injury by, or under the supervision of, specified healthcare professionals. Organisations providing exclusively first aid may be out of scope of these changes. The Care Quality Commission will commence a consultation, starting on 8 May 2026, which will provide opportunities for further consideration around the appropriate implementation of the regulation to sectors such as individual clinicians, volunteers and mountain rescue services. This includes a separate stream specifically for mountain rescue.

What steps her Department is taking to improve (a) access to, and (b) outcomes in, higher education for adopted children.

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

What steps she is taking to help ensure that adopted children receive appropriate pastoral support in schools.

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

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of regulatory and accreditation barriers on the level of NHS workforce.

The statutory regulation of healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom is designed to protect patients and the public by ensuring that registered practitioners are appropriately trained, competent, and fit to practise.The UK’s healthcare professional regulators are independent bodies responsible for setting standards of education, training, and professional conduct. They are also responsible for setting registration routes, including for overseas‑qualified applicants, to ensure UK standards of safe and effective practice are met. Only those who meet these requirements can legally practise in regulated healthcare professions.National Health Service employers are responsible for ensuring that individuals appointed to specific roles meet the requirements of those posts in line with service needs, patient safety requirements, and relevant NHS frameworks.The Government is committed to maintaining robust regulatory frameworks that support public safety, professional standards, and confidence in the healthcare system. Through its programme of regulatory reform, the Government will bring forward legislation to modernise the legislative frameworks of the regulators to ensure that they have the powers they require to protect the public while supporting an effective and flexible workforce. In the meantime, we continue to engage with regulators to support the effective use of their existing powers and frameworks to facilitate efficient registration pathways for both UK and overseas‑qualified applicants, consistent with public protection.The 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out how the Government will ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients when they need it.

What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on improving the recognition of overseas qualifications and reducing barriers to employment in the NHS.

The statutory regulation of healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom is designed to protect patients and the public by ensuring that registered practitioners are appropriately trained, competent, and fit to practise.The UK’s healthcare professional regulators are independent bodies responsible for setting standards of education, training, and professional conduct. They are also responsible for setting registration routes, including for overseas‑qualified applicants, to ensure UK standards of safe and effective practice are met. Only those who meet these requirements can legally practise in regulated healthcare professions.National Health Service employers are responsible for ensuring that individuals appointed to specific roles meet the requirements of those posts in line with service needs, patient safety requirements, and relevant NHS frameworks.The Government is committed to maintaining robust regulatory frameworks that support public safety, professional standards, and confidence in the healthcare system. Through its programme of regulatory reform, the Government will bring forward legislation to modernise the legislative frameworks of the regulators to ensure that they have the powers they require to protect the public while supporting an effective and flexible workforce. In the meantime, we continue to engage with regulators to support the effective use of their existing powers and frameworks to facilitate efficient registration pathways for both UK and overseas‑qualified applicants, consistent with public protection.The 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out how the Government will ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients when they need it.

With reference to her Department's press release entitled Nationwide plans announced to design safer streets as 9 in 10 women report feeling unsafe walking at night, published 25 March 2026, what assessment she has made of the biggest barriers to the installation of lighting on walking, wheeling and cycling routes.

Barriers to the installation of appropriate lighting include a lack of energy infrastructure, higher scheme cost for upfront work, the impact on nature and wildlife, the long-term revenue budget required for the ongoing maintenance of lighting installation, and the balance between these factors that is part of scheme development. The forthcoming guidance from ATE will include the importance of implementing better-designed lighting. ATE’s Route Check Tool includes specific metrics relating to lighting coverage, visibility, user safety, and minimising light pollution, helping authorities to plan routes that meet modern safety and design standards.

With reference to HMS Dragon's deployment to the eastern Mediterranean and the planned retirement of Type 23 frigates before the Type 26 and Type 31 replacements enter service, what steps he has taken to mitigate the Royal Navy’s capability gap in escort vessels.

Type 26 frigates are expected to begin entering service from 2028, and all Type 31s are expected to be in service by the early 2030s. This is part of a carefully managed modernisation programme, which will see these new highly capable Frigates enter service, and the Type 23s retire from the Royal Navy following decades of dedicated service. In addition, there will be significant long-term investment in the six Type 45s, to enhance and sustain these world beating Air Defence platforms into the late 2030s.

If he will publish figures for the percentage of Universal Credit claimants who are working, broken down by hourly increments, in each of the past five years.

Statistics on the number of people on Universal Credit are regularly published on Stat-Xplore, with the latest statistics by employment status available to February 2026. As there is no limit to how many hours a person can work and still get Universal Credit, information on the number of hours worked for those in employment is not collated.

What the total value of public funding committed to electric vehicle uptake and charging infrastructure is across all schemes since 2024.

Since 2024, the Government has allocated the following funding to electric vehicle uptake and charging infrastructure:Autumn Budget 2024: £0.3 billionSpending review 2025: £1.8 billionAutumn Budget 2025: £1.5 billionTotal: £3.6 billion funding out to 2030.

What support is available to overseas-qualified doctors who have the right to work in the UK but do not currently meet the requirements to practice in the NHS; and whether he plans to review pathways to enable such professionals to contribute to the healthcare workforce.

Overseas‑qualified doctors must meet General Medical Council (GMC) registration and licensing requirements before practising in the National Health Service. A range of information and guidance is available through the GMC website to support doctors through the registration process. Professional standards and entry requirements remain a matter for the independent regulator. NHS employers recruit locally and determine role requirements in line with service needs. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out how the Government will ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients when they need it.

What estimate he has made of the number of individuals who have the legal right to work in the UK but are unable to access employment in their qualified profession due to regulatory or accreditation barriers; and what steps his Department is taking to help reduce this number.

Decisions regarding an individual's professional recognition are made and recorded by independent regulators. Data related to the number of individuals who have the legal right to work in the UK but are unable to due to regulatory or accreditation barriers is therefore not collected by the Department.As we said in the industrial and trade strategies, the department is currently working with regulators to prioritise the recognition of professional qualifications with international partners to support the UK's economic growth and labour market.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential economic impact of levels of underemployment among refugees with a right to work; and what steps his Department is taking to improve skills recognition and employment matching for such individuals.

The government agrees that we need to make full use of the skills and qualifications of refugees. We want everyone who can to succeed in work, contribute to economic growth and have roles which align with their potential. That is why DWP work coaches are trained to support claimants, including refugees, into work looking both at how their existing skills can be best matched to employment vacancies as well as identifying any skill gaps and providing support to address these. For those who have qualifications obtained overseas, work coaches signpost to the European National Information Centre (ENIC), who provide guidance and advice on getting foreign qualifications recognised in the UK. In addition, we are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new service across Great Britain that will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers. As part of this, we will improve our support for employers to help them find the right candidates to fill their vacancies.

In which month will the first East West Rail services operate from Winslow to Bletchley.

The Department continues to work closely with Chiltern Railways and other partners to confirm a start date for the first EWR services between Oxford and Milton Keynes Central via Winslow. For passenger services to commence, trains will need to have been modified and fully tested, and driver training will need to have been completed. Winslow station also needs to be fully handed over, and future staffing arrangements also remain to be agreed.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 118042, whether the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has set any key performance indicators for recruitment campaigns for driving examiner roles.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) monitors the performance of recruitment campaigns, including:monitoring pass rates for each of the stages in the recruitment process and comparing these between campaignsaverage times between advert and job offers being made, and offers being made and start date.The performance in these areas have improved in the past 12 months. For example, before November 2025, the average time DVSA took to advertise and onboard potential driving examiners (DE) into training was 16 weeks. In December 2025, DVSA improved its recruitment process and the average time DVSA now takes to onboard potential DEs is 13 weeks. Further proposals should see this reduce by another 2-3 weeks for future campaigns. For campaigns up to November 2025, DVSA used the data available from the Civil Service recruitment standard applicants survey. This shows which advertising routes generate candidates, however the information is limited and does not give 100% coverage. In December 2025, DVSA introduced a DVSA specific survey. This is sent to everyone who is offered an interview. This is then followed by another survey sent to anyone who successfully moves onto training. The data will be crossed referenced, however DVSA currently only has data for one complete and one ongoing campaign.

With reference to the paragraph entitled East West Rail lease write-offs on page 9 of the National Audit Office’s Department for Transport Overview 2024–25, which states that £2.6 million in lease costs for East West Rail rolling stock were written off following delays to testing, whether (a) East West Rail Company Ltd, or (b) her Department, has written off any such lease costs; and if she will provide a breakdown of those costs.

The published Department for Transport annual report and accounts 2024/2025 included the £2.6m lease cost write-off. The breakdown comprised of approximately £900k in 2023/2024 and approximately £1.7m in 2024/2025. The costs were for rolling stock contracted payments to the Rolling Stock Company (ROSCO).

Whether Royal Navy personnel currently deployed to Bahrain for the decommissioning of HMS Lancaster will be withdrawn for the duration of the current conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran.

The United Kingdom remains concerned over the indiscriminate attacks from Iran across the region, which are putting British nationals at risk. The safety of British personnel and citizens will always be the government's top priority, and we have therefore taken all necessary measures to ensure they are protected. In accordance with operational security considerations, we are unable to comment further.

Pursuant to her answer of 22 January 2026 to Question 106805, what steps her department is taking to ensure that all local authorities give serious consideration to implementing auto-enrolment for free school meals.

This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity and tackling child poverty. We want to make sure that every family that needs support can access it.Local authorities are responsible for managing their own processes for identifying children eligible for free school meals. We know that many schools and local authorities have established very effective ways to encourage eligible families to register.By introducing a new eligibility threshold for free school meals so that all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit will be eligible for free school meals from the start of the 2026/27 academic year, this will make it much easier for local authorities, schools and parents to know which children are entitled to receive free meals. Our improvements to the digital system used to review eligibility will also make it easier for parents to understand their entitlement.As with all government policies, we continue to keep free school meals under review.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of returning the Railway Inspectorate to the Health and Safety Executive.

His Majesty’s Railway Inspectorate (HMRI) was transferred from the Health and Safety Executive to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) in 2006 to strengthen the efficiency and effectiveness of railway safety regulation. Housing HMRI within ORR allows safety oversight to sit alongside the wider regulatory and economic functions for the rail industry, supporting a more integrated and streamlined approach to enforcing railway safety legislation. The Government considers the current framework to be effective. As such, no assessment has been made of returning HMRI to the Health and Safety Executive, and there are no plans to do so.