Written questions by Holden.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 71238 on Buses and Large Goods Vehicles: Licensing, whether her Department has now concluded its consideration of next steps following the consultation entitled Amendments to licensing restrictions: bus, coach and heavy goods vehicles; and whether she has plans to publish a timetable for the Government’s response.

The Government is reviewing responses to the consultation conducted under the previous government. We are considering next steps and will provide an update once this work has concluded.

With reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Giving every child the best start in life, updated on 12 September 2025, whether the review of early years funding will include an assessment of food costs within the funding formula.

To make sure that the early years (EY) funding system properly supports those children and parts of the country that have higher levels of additional need, the department will review EY funding, including the EY national funding formulae, consulting on a set of changes and publishing full details by Summer 2026. Within EY, free school meals (FSM) applies to school-based nurseries (SBNs) for children who attend both before and after lunch. As part of the expansion of FSM, the department has announced that children in SBNs whose household is in receipt of Universal Credit, will be eligible for FSM from September 2026. Beyond the provision of FSM, the statutory guidance makes clear that funding for the entitlements does not cover consumables like meals, so providers can ask parents to pay, provided they are not mandatory or a condition of accessing an entitlements place. As such, the cost of consumables will not fall within the scope of the planned review of EY funding.

Pursuant to the Answer of 2 September 2025 to WPQ 69365, if he will publish a list of the changes made between the previous published version of the framework and the new version published on 16 June 2025.

We do not routinely publish the list of changes made to the document, as the most up to date version is the one we are measuring the performance of the function against.

What the national average waiting time in weeks was for a practical car driving test in (a) November 2025 and (b) each month since July 2024.

The national average waiting time in November for car practical driving tests will not be available until later in December. The national average for any given month is usually not available until the middle of the following month. The respective answers to Question 78713 on 20 October 2025, and Question 93246 on 28 November 2025, provided data covering the period July 2024 to October 2025.

How many (a) Notices to Improve and (b) written instructions her Department issued to train operating companies for which the Department is the operator in relation to (i) service performance and (ii) financial control in (A) November 2025 and (B) each month since July 2024.

The Department has not issued any Notices to Improve on any of the DfT Operator train operating companies because none have been in breach of their formal contractual terms. DfT regularly engages with all operators on service performance and financial management, aligned with this Government's priorities on improving performance and reducing subsidy.

How much central government funding was provided to Transport for London in each financial year from 2007–08 to 2024–25; and what it is expected to be in 2025-6.

All the information requested is available on TfL's website: Funding letters - Transport for London.

What estimate she has made of the number of bus service miles operated in England outside London in (a) November 2025 and (b) each month since July 2024.

The Department does not hold this information centrally.

Pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2025 to WPQ 92058, whether he has had discussions with manufacturers who also sell products in China on reluctance to engage with the Trade Remedies Authority because of the possibility of retaliatory action by that country.

No, neither the Secretary of State nor I have had any such discussions. However, the Government and the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) regularly engage with UK manufacturers to understand their concerns, and they may always submit applications anonymously to the TRA. Trade remedy investigations should be undertaken on the basis of evidence, pursuant to the WTO agreements, and available to all WTO members. My Department will always challenge actions taken outside this framework. The UK and China are deepening its dialogue on trade remedy matters through the UK-China Joint Economic and Trade Commission.

How many full-time equivalent driving examiners recruited by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency were (a) in post and (b) delivering practical car driving tests in November 2025.

As of 30 November 2025, there were 1,608 full-time equivalent (FTE) driving examiners (DE) in post. Of those, 1,539 FTE were delivering practical car driving tests. A DE is a paid Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency employee from the point at which they start their training and therefore considered to be in post.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2025 to Question 93956 on Driving Tests, what the marginal cost charged to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency by the Ministry of Defence is for the deployment of defence driving examiners.

I refer the right hon. Gentleman to my answer to Question 95727 which answered this same question.https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-12-01/95727

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to WPQ 93853, whether she has made any representations on behalf of Carlos Correa and others arbitrarily detained in Venezuela, since the Statement at the Human Rights Council on 27 June.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the response provided on 13 October to Question 77020.

Pursuant to WPQ 93776, if she will provide a hyperlink to that information, as set out as correct practice in paragraph 234 of the Government's Guide To Parliamentary Work.

Apologies. The draft 2026 Rating List valuations, and current 2023 List valuations, which can be filtered using the advanced search by special category code, can be viewed at: www.gov.uk/find-business-rates

Whether she plans to extend the child Air Passenger Duty exemption to Premium Economy cabins.

Air Passenger Duty (APD) applies to airlines, not individual passengers, and is the principal tax on the aviation sector. It is expected to raise £4.7 billion in 2025-26 and it aims to ensure that airlines make a fair contribution to the public finances, particularly given that tickets are VAT free and aviation fuel incurs no duty. The distance-based band structure ensures that those who travel furthest, and in the greatest comfort, incur a greater tax liability. Children under 16 years old on the date of the flight, and in the lowest class of travel, are exempt from APD. This means that no APD will be paid on that passenger by the airline to the UK government. If children under 16 years old are travelling in any other class (such as premium economy) or in business jets, they are not exempt. Children under 2 years old without a seat are exempt from Air Passenger Duty for all classes of travel.

Whether he has considered providing temporary relief from CO₂ compliance costs for UK refineries, in the context of two of the six UK refineries closing.

The Government recognises the vital role UK refineries play in energy security and continues to work closely with the industry. The UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), incentivises cost-effective decarbonisation, and the ETS Authority decides any changes to it. The Free Allocation Review Response published in November confirmed the sector remains eligible for free allocation, with current benchmarks maintained until 2028, allowing time to develop supportive policy. The Government is committed to mitigating carbon leakage risk and, as announced at Budget is considering the feasibility and impacts of including refined products in the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism in future.

Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the BBC on managing conflicts of interest at BBC Wales.

The Secretary of State meets with the BBC regularly and discusses a range of issues. The BBC has duties under the Charter to be independent, to act in the public interest and provide impartial services. The BBC is operationally independent of the Government in delivering on those duties, and it is for Ofcom as the BBC’s independent regulator to hold the BBC accountable against these responsibilities. The Secretary of State has been clear that the Government supports a strong independent BBC. In an age of disinformation, the argument for robust and impartial BBC services are stronger than ever.

What guidance or advice the National Cyber Security Centre has given to Government Departments regarding the maintenance, purchase or leasing of (a) internal combustion engine based vehicles and (b) electric and hybrid vehicles made in China.

The Government does not routinely publish details of operational security matters or specific threats. The Cabinet Office works closely with agencies such as the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), alongside other government departments, to fully understand and address cyber vulnerabilities, proportional to the perceived threat, and support departments. This collaborative effort covers all connected vehicles, including those powered by internal combustion engines, as well as electric and hybrid models.

Whether she plans to lay Great British Railways’ draft and final Integrated Business Plans before Parliament for scrutiny.

The new funding period review set out in the Bill will require the publication of Great British Railway’s (GBR) integrated business plan, including updates, and a summary of the advice provided by the Office of Rail and Road to the Secretary of State on the quality of that plan.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of business rates increases at airports on i.) passenger ticket prices and ii.) airline route planning.

The government is committed to enabling investment so that airports can play their full role in the growth mission. Properties seeing large bill increases as a result of the business rates revaluation - including airports - will benefit from a redesigned transitional relief scheme worth £3.2 billion over the next 3 years. At Budget 2025, the government also published a Call for Evidence on Business Rates and Investment. It will explore the concerns that airports and a small number of other ratepayers have raised around the ‘Receipts & Expenditure’ valuation methodology and its impacts on long-term, high value investments. The government is seeking to address issues raised ahead of the 2029 revaluation, aiming to conclude this work in sufficient time before pre-list discussion commences.

Pursuant to the Answer of 28 November 2025 to Question 93219 on Roads: Biodiversity, whether those schemes undertaking biodiversity net gain requirements are on a voluntary basis.

All Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects which are already delivering biodiversity net gain (BNG) are doing so on a voluntary basis. This will remain the case until the legal requirement applies to schemes that submit development consent applications after May 2026. National Highways is already committed to delivering BNG for those Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects starting construction in the third Road Period (2026/27 to 2030/31).

How many a) neurologists with specialist training in Parkinson’s, b) geriatricians with specialist training in Parkinson’s, and c) specialist Parkinson’s nurses are currently practising in the NHS.

While the Department does not hold data specifically on the number of Parkinson’s specialist staff in England, we do hold data on the number of doctors working in the wider specialities of neurology and geriatric medicine. As of August 2025, there were 2,010 full time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in the specialty of neurology and 6,284 in geriatric medicine in National Health Service trusts and other organisations in England. This includes 1,025 FTE consultant neurologists and 1,687 FTE consultant geriatricians.These figures are based on NHS Digital’s workforce data and reflect staff employed by NHS trusts and other core NHS organisations in England. They do not include doctors working in private practice or outside NHS organisations.The Department does not hold specific data on the number of specialist Parkinson’s nurses currently working in the NHS in England. These roles are commissioned and managed locally by NHS trusts and integrated care boards as part of neurology and movement disorder services.NHS England has published a service specification for specialised adult neurology services, which includes Parkinson’s disease as part of its scope. This specification sets out requirements for multidisciplinary care, including access to Parkinson’s disease nurse specialists, consultant neurologists, and allied health professionals.NHS England is also implementing initiatives such as the Neurology Transformation Programme and the Getting It Right First Time Programme for Neurology, which aim to improve access to specialist care, reduce variation, and develop integrated models of service delivery for conditions including Parkinson’s disease. These programmes align with the National Institute for Care Excellence guidance on Parkinson’s disease, reference code NG71, which recommends that people with Parkinson’s have regular access to specialist staff with expertise in the condition.