Written questions by Cadbury.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the powers available to local authorities to take enforcement action against shops unlawfully selling vapes.

Trading Standards Officers currently have a range of enforcement tools at their disposal to enforce age of sale restrictions and take a proportionate approach to enforcement that reflects the severity of the offence committed. When necessary, this includes prosecuting offenders which can result in courts imposing a fine of up to £2,500, and, in the case of repeat offences, applying for a restricted premises order or restricted sale order. £200 fixed penalty notices introduced by the Tobacco and Vapes Bill will complement existing sanctions and support Trading Standards to crack down on retailers selling to people underage.To ensure that local authorities are provided with the appropriate powers to enforce measures in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, provisions in the Bill give Trading Standards Officers investigatory powers set out in Schedule 5 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Future regulations relating to vaping product requirements will also provide appropriate powers for enforcement authorities to carry out their duties.We will complete a post-implementation review of the measures in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill in due course.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Making Tax Digital for Income Tax scheme on sole traders who are digitally excluded.

The government recognises that not everyone is able to interact with HMRC digitally. Customers that consider themselves digitally excluded will be able to apply for an exemption from Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. HMRC will provide further information about the exemption process later in 2025.

What steps she has taken to help support small businesses to understand the Making Tax Digital for Income Tax scheme.

Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax is designed to help businesses keep on top of their tax affairs and support their wider productivity. The government is undertaking a range of activities to ensure that those needing to use MTD for Income Tax understand the requirements and can do so successfully from April 2026. A communications campaign is underway, raising customer awareness of MTD for Income Tax and encouraging agents and customers to sign up for testing. HMRC are supporting customers and agents with a suite of guidance products, direct communications, webinars, live events and social media activity to help them to prepare.

With reference to Q146 of the oral evidence given by the Secretary of State to the Transport Committee on 23 April 2025, HC 346, when the National Highways’ safety action plan for 2025-26 will be published.

The safety action plan will form part of National Highways 2025-26 delivery plan for the Interim Settlement which will be published in the coming months.

What progress she has made on developing a central finance facility for credit unions.

The Government has made clear its strong support for the credit union sector, recognising the value that credit unions bring to their members in local communities across the country in providing savings products and affordable credit. On 14 November, the Chancellor announced new measures to support the growth of the credit union and mutuals sector. Following this Mansion House speech, HM Treasury has concluded a call for evidence on potential reforms to credit union common bonds, supported the industry-led Mutual and Co-operative Sector Business Council, and commissioned the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) to publish a report on the mutuals landscape by the end of 2025. There are currently no plans to develop a central finance facility for credit unions. The Government continues to engage with the sector and will keep all issues, like central finance functions, under review.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of seeking an agreement with the European Union on the mutual recognition of (a) qualifications and (b) licenses for (i) pilots, (ii) flight crew and (iii) aircraft engineers.

The Government has been clear that it will work to reset the relationship with Europe, to strengthen ties and tackle barriers to trade. Establishing an effective personnel licensing regime that supports UK aviation remains a priority for us, and the UK is keen to establish closer cooperation on personnel licensing where possible to ease the current burden on UK and EU personnel.

When she plans to publish the immigration fees for an Irish citizen seeking to gain British Citizenship through the British Nationality (Irish Citizens) Act 2024.

The fee for an Irish citizen seeking to gain British Citizenship through the British Nationality (Irish Citizens) Act 2024 is currently under consideration and we will provide an update in due course.

What steps his Department is taking to improve access to treatments for long covid.

The Government is committed to ensuring that families have the support that they need. The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable, high-quality care and support services, including support for carers, which can include parents.Across the National Health Service in England, there are services supporting people with post-COVID syndrome, often described as long COVID. These services offer physical, cognitive, and psychological assessment, and, where appropriate, refer patients onto existing services for treatment and rehabilitation. Further information can be found via the NHS website, at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/post-covid-syndrome-long-covid/The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the Medical Research Council (MRC) remain committed to funding high-quality research to understand the causes, consequences, and treatment for long COVID. We are actively exploring next steps for research in this area.Between 2019/20 and 2023/24, through the NIHR and MRC, we have invested over £57 million on research into long COVID, with almost £40 million of this through two specific research calls on long COVID. The funded projects aim to improve our understanding of the diagnosis and underlying mechanisms of the disease and the effectiveness of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies and interventions, as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of clinical care.This includes funded clinical trials to test and compare different treatments such as antihistamines, anticoagulants, and anti-inflammatory medicines, as well as trials such as the approximately £1.5 million REGAIN trial funded through the NIHR. REGAIN is the first randomised trial to show a benefit from rehabilitation for people with long COVID, and the first high-quality evidence confirming the sustained clinical benefit and lack of harm with rehabilitation programmes for long COVID which combine exercise with behavioural support, to measure their effects on symptoms, health, and other outcomes.The approximately £1.9 million CLoCk study, co-funded by the NIHR and the MRC, developed an agreed definition of long COVID in children and young people as well as the associated symptoms, which will help harmonise research and improve understanding of the condition.Funding is available and we welcome funding applications for research into long COVID in both adults and children. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.To support clinical leadership in this area, NHS England has worked in partnership with the British Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine to develop a new Clinical Post-COVID Society to facilitate the ongoing sharing of best practice and to support people affected by long COVID. Further information about the society can be found at the following link:https://www.clinicalpcs.org.uk

Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of land access disputes arising from delays in completing remediation work on residential flats.

The department has currently made no such assessment. Since Grenfell Tower in 2017, 96% of buildings with Grenfell-style cladding have started or completed remediation but 51% of mid and high-rise buildings with all types of cladding issues identified still are yet to start remediation. This is unacceptably slow. We have been clear on our intentions to ensure we deliver remediation faster, with more action from manufacturers, freeholders, developers and organisations with a responsibility to make sure buildings are safe. The Remediation Acceleration Plan (RAP) was announced on 2 December 2024. It sets out key measures to fix buildings faster, identify remaining buildings still at risk and ensure that residents are supported through the remediation process. The RAP sets out the government’s ambitious approach to tackle these issues for buildings in England. We recognise that the scale and importance of the challenge is so significant that we expect to publish a further update on this plan in summer 2025 to report on progress and to reflect the second phase of the spending review.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of clinical research into treatments for long covid.

The Government is committed to ensuring that families have the support that they need. The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable, high-quality care and support services, including support for carers, which can include parents.Across the National Health Service in England, there are services supporting people with post-COVID syndrome, often described as long COVID. These services offer physical, cognitive, and psychological assessment, and, where appropriate, refer patients onto existing services for treatment and rehabilitation. Further information can be found via the NHS website, at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/post-covid-syndrome-long-covid/The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the Medical Research Council (MRC) remain committed to funding high-quality research to understand the causes, consequences, and treatment for long COVID. We are actively exploring next steps for research in this area.Between 2019/20 and 2023/24, through the NIHR and MRC, we have invested over £57 million on research into long COVID, with almost £40 million of this through two specific research calls on long COVID. The funded projects aim to improve our understanding of the diagnosis and underlying mechanisms of the disease and the effectiveness of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies and interventions, as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of clinical care.This includes funded clinical trials to test and compare different treatments such as antihistamines, anticoagulants, and anti-inflammatory medicines, as well as trials such as the approximately £1.5 million REGAIN trial funded through the NIHR. REGAIN is the first randomised trial to show a benefit from rehabilitation for people with long COVID, and the first high-quality evidence confirming the sustained clinical benefit and lack of harm with rehabilitation programmes for long COVID which combine exercise with behavioural support, to measure their effects on symptoms, health, and other outcomes.The approximately £1.9 million CLoCk study, co-funded by the NIHR and the MRC, developed an agreed definition of long COVID in children and young people as well as the associated symptoms, which will help harmonise research and improve understanding of the condition.Funding is available and we welcome funding applications for research into long COVID in both adults and children. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality.To support clinical leadership in this area, NHS England has worked in partnership with the British Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine to develop a new Clinical Post-COVID Society to facilitate the ongoing sharing of best practice and to support people affected by long COVID. Further information about the society can be found at the following link:https://www.clinicalpcs.org.uk

What steps he is taking to improve the treatments available for brain tumours in west London.

The Government has invested in new lifesaving and life-improving research, supporting those diagnosed and living with brain tumours. In September 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) announced new research funding opportunities for brain cancer research, spanning both adult and paediatric populations. This includes a national NIHR Brain Tumour Research Consortium, to ensure the most promising research opportunities are made available to adult and child patients.The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes, including treatment options, for all cancer patients including those with brain tumours.

What estimate he has made of the number of people aged 66 and over who were in paid employment as of 1 January 2025.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 17th March is attached.

Pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2025 to Question 33910, how many staff were employed at the Fraud team at the DVSA at the end of (a) 2019, (b) 2020, (c) 2021, (d) 2022 and (e) 2023.

The table below shows the number of people employed within the Counter Fraud & Investigation team at the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency for the years ending 2019 to 2024. Year-endHeadcountFull Time Equivalent (FTE)Dec 20194847.26Dec 20204846.47Dec 20215049.25Dec 20224847.25Dec 20234847.6Dec 202465*59* *In 2024-25, the team dedicated to investigating fraud in the driver theory and practical test schemes was doubled as a result of additional funding provided by the Department for Transport.

What steps he has taken to increase the availability of assessments for ADHD in West London.

It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including assessments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.NHS England has established an ADHD taskforce which is working to bring together those with lived experience, experts from the National Health Service, education, charity, and justice sectors. The taskforce is working to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including timely and equitable access to services and support, with the final report expected in the summer of 2025.In conjunction with the taskforce, NHS England has carried out detailed work to develop an ADHD data improvement plan to inform future service planning. NHS England has also conducted detailed work to understand the provider and commissioning landscape, capturing examples from ICBs who are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services. NHS England is using this information to support systems to tackle ADHD waiting lists and provide support to address people’s needs.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the level of rent for people living in houseboats with permanent moorings.

There is limited data available on the number of houseboats and whether these are owner-occupied or rented. While houseboats with permanent moorings may be in the postcode address file and therefore eligible for inclusion in the English Housing Survey, these cannot be separated out for reporting purposes due to very low numbers. As a result, such an assessment cannot be made.

How many people worked at the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency in (a) 2019, (b) 2020, (c) 2021, (d) 2022, (e) 2023 and (f) 2024.

There are 65 people employed within the Counter Fraud & Investigations team at the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). This team work directly on the investigation of fraud in various areas of DVSA’s work such as the car practical and theory test, commercial vehicles and MOT.There are other teams within DVSA that are involved in its investigative and enforcement activities such as:traffic examiners who stop vehicles at the roadsidemarket surveillance teams who investigate aftermarket goodsintelligence unit staff who process and investigate information we receive on fraudulent activity.commercial vehicle team DVSA actively encourage and remind all colleagues to report, via the appropriate channels, any suspected fraudulent activity they encounter. The table below shows the number of car practical tests conducted (tests which have been passed or failed) in England per calendar year, for the years 2019 to 2024. Please note, for data on conducted tests in 2024, DVSA can currently only publish data up to the end of September 2024. YearCar Tests Conducted20191,625,5792020809,50920211,113,73520221,667,93520231,831,5882024 as of 30 September1,479,177 The table below shows the number of people employed at DVSA for the years 2019 to 2024. Year EndHeadcountFull Time Equivalent (FTE)December 201947524472.26December 202047334455.94December 202148694597.43December 202249114630.77December 202349444629.97December 202448814563.05

Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of people who live in residential houseboats in permanent moorings in (a) London and (b) England.

The Department does not hold such information. Navigation authorities are responsible for operational matters on their waterways, including issuing licences for permanent moorings on their waterways. This does not necessarily involve recording the number of people living on a boat.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of rights for residents living on houseboats in permanent moorings in the context of the (a) length and (b) security of their tenure.

No assessment has been made. Navigation authorities have responsibility for operational matters on their waterways, including setting the terms and conditions of the licences that they issue for the use of permanent moorings. The length and security of tenure of houseboat owners will depend on the terms they agree with the mooring owner. The terms of the agreement issued by the mooring owner must comply with the unfair terms in consumer contracts requirements in the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Boat owners with residential moorings will also benefit from the Protection from Eviction Act 1977. This requires mooring owners to get a court order to evict boat owners who continue to moor after their license agreement has ended.

How many driving tests were taken in England in (a) 2019, (b) 2020, (c) 2021, (d) 2022, (e) 2023 and (f) 2024.

There are 65 people employed within the Counter Fraud & Investigations team at the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). This team work directly on the investigation of fraud in various areas of DVSA’s work such as the car practical and theory test, commercial vehicles and MOT.There are other teams within DVSA that are involved in its investigative and enforcement activities such as:traffic examiners who stop vehicles at the roadsidemarket surveillance teams who investigate aftermarket goodsintelligence unit staff who process and investigate information we receive on fraudulent activity.commercial vehicle team DVSA actively encourage and remind all colleagues to report, via the appropriate channels, any suspected fraudulent activity they encounter. The table below shows the number of car practical tests conducted (tests which have been passed or failed) in England per calendar year, for the years 2019 to 2024. Please note, for data on conducted tests in 2024, DVSA can currently only publish data up to the end of September 2024. YearCar Tests Conducted20191,625,5792020809,50920211,113,73520221,667,93520231,831,5882024 as of 30 September1,479,177 The table below shows the number of people employed at DVSA for the years 2019 to 2024. Year EndHeadcountFull Time Equivalent (FTE)December 201947524472.26December 202047334455.94December 202148694597.43December 202249114630.77December 202349444629.97December 202448814563.05

How many people are working on issues relating to fraud at the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency.

There are 65 people employed within the Counter Fraud & Investigations team at the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). This team work directly on the investigation of fraud in various areas of DVSA’s work such as the car practical and theory test, commercial vehicles and MOT.There are other teams within DVSA that are involved in its investigative and enforcement activities such as:traffic examiners who stop vehicles at the roadsidemarket surveillance teams who investigate aftermarket goodsintelligence unit staff who process and investigate information we receive on fraudulent activity.commercial vehicle team DVSA actively encourage and remind all colleagues to report, via the appropriate channels, any suspected fraudulent activity they encounter. The table below shows the number of car practical tests conducted (tests which have been passed or failed) in England per calendar year, for the years 2019 to 2024. Please note, for data on conducted tests in 2024, DVSA can currently only publish data up to the end of September 2024. YearCar Tests Conducted20191,625,5792020809,50920211,113,73520221,667,93520231,831,5882024 as of 30 September1,479,177 The table below shows the number of people employed at DVSA for the years 2019 to 2024. Year EndHeadcountFull Time Equivalent (FTE)December 201947524472.26December 202047334455.94December 202148694597.43December 202249114630.77December 202349444629.97December 202448814563.05