Written questions by Davies.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Plastic Packaging Tax on imports.

To ensure a level playing field, importers and UK manufacturers must provide the same level of evidence to claim relief from the Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT). The government continues to assess the prevalence of PPT non-compliance on imported plastic packaging and are considering options to further safeguard against this. In the meantime, HMRC continues to develop their data and risk driven approach to compliance as the tax matures and more data comes available to profile, identify and target error and non-compliance. HMRC has a range of sanctions to promote compliance and deter non-compliance, such as penalties of up to 100% of the tax due and compulsory registration. In 2023/24 HMRC completed inquiries into 690 PPT cases with a tax yield of almost £18m. HMRC lead tax compliance and work in policy partnership with HM Treasury officials. HMRC are committed to working closely with Defra and the Environment Agencies to share data and insight, alongside continued engagement with the sector on a range of PPT issues.

How many foreign nationals who currently live outside of the UK are paid the state pension.

The Department does not hold data on the number of foreign nationals residing outside of the UK and in receipt of the UK State Pension. However, the Department does hold data on the number of individuals in receipt of the UK State Pension residing outside of the UK. As of August 2024, this was 1.1 million. Source: DWP Stat-Xplore.

Whether she has made an assessment of the merits of providing local councils with the power to close premises where serious and organised crime has been detected by (a) landlords and (b) those renting the property.

Local authorities may already use the closure power under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, to close premises quickly which are being used, or are likely to be used, to commit nuisance or disorder. Courts may in turn grant a Closure Order where a person has engaged in criminal behaviour on the premises. This existing power is designed specifically to protect victims and communities by enabling swift action where premises are creating harm.Alongside these powers, the Government is introducing a new criminal offence of ‘cuckooing’, being brought forward in the Crime and Policing Bill. This offence will criminalise the control over another person’s home for criminal purposes, particularly where vulnerable individuals are targeted and exploited. It will enable stronger action against criminals who prey on others in this way and help ensure victims are protected from this crime. The Government will publish guidance to support implementation of the new offence, including on how law enforcement partners can work with local authorities as part of a multi-agency response to tackle cuckooing.These tools and legislative measures demonstrate the Government’s commitment to empowering local authorities and law enforcement agencies to take robust action against serious and organised criminal activity.

How many Magistrates have been awarded a Royal Honour due to their service as a Magistrate in each year for which data is available.

Over the last five years, the Ministry of Justice has recorded that there have been 56 magistrates awarded UK national honours. Records are not kept for longer than five years. Many more than this have been nominated across all Departments, but not all are successful. This number does not include the Birthday Honours List for 2025 which is not due to be published until 14 June 2025.The breakdown by year (across two lists per year) is as follows:2020: 112021: 92022: 82023: 92024: 122025 (One list only so far): 7

How many teaching staff in registered nurseries there are by gender in each region.

The department collects information on the overall size of the workforce through its regular Survey of Childcare and Early Years Providers, which can be accessed at the following address: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/childcare-and-early-years-provider-survey/2024. The latest data from this survey was published in December 2024 and showed the total number of paid childcare staff was 368,100 in 2024. Of these, 277,900 are group-based provider staff and 59,800 are school-based provider staff. The survey shows that the vast majority of paid childcare staff are female, making up 98% of paid group-based provider staff, and 97% of paid school-based provider staff. Additionally, Table 4 - 2 in the following link: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/childcare-and-early-years-provider-survey/2024, shows the total number of paid staff by region, but does not break down by gender and region.

Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the potential economic value of the business events sector; and how many civil services in her Department work on supporting and growing the sector.

DCMS recognises that the business events sector is a machine for economic growth and local prosperity. The business events sector is estimated to be worth £34 billion to the UK Economy and an additional £200 billion in trade established at Business Events.The Business Events Growth Programme (BEGP), led by VisitBritain, forms part of the UK Government’s commitment to grow the business events sector across Britain. Every pound invested in the programme supported £33 of revenue being generated for the British economy through new events secured, or in additional delegate spend, during the five-year review period from 2018 to 2023.Within DCMS, we have one civil servant who works full time on supporting the business events sector, plus a percentage of time from senior colleagues who provide oversight.

How much is the capital grant to Telford and Wrekin Council for (a) road and (b) pothole (i) repairs and (ii) improvements in each of the last six years.

The Government takes the condition of local roads very seriously and is committed to maintaining and renewing the local highway network. DfT allocates capital funding to local highway authorities so they can most effectively spend it on maintaining and improving their respective networks, based upon their local knowledge, circumstances, and priorities. Local highway authorities should consider all parts of the highway network as part of their highway asset management plans, such as bridges, cycleways, and lighting columns – not just the fixing of potholes. Funding allocations for local highway maintenance are published on gov.uk.Telford and Wrekin Council, as a highway authority, has been allocated the following highway maintenance funding: YearHighways Maintenance funding for Telford and Wrekin Council2020/21£5,747,0002021/22£4,311,0002022/23£4,311,0002023/24£5,625,4002024/25£4,859,0002025/26£7,164,000 To receive the full funding allocation in 2025/26, Telford and Wrekin will have to comply with the requirements announced by the Secretary of State in March 2025.

How many registered childminders there are by gender in each region.

Ofsted publish official statistics twice a year and management information twice a year on providers and inspections. Data for childminders on Ofsted registers can be broken down to a regional level. The latest data show that as at 31 December 2024 there were 25,556 Ofsted-registered childminders across all Ofsted registers, together with 1,520 childminders on the role of childminder agencies. This information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/childcare-providers-and-inspections-management-information. The department collects information on the gender of Ofsted-registered childminders through its annual survey of childcare and early years providers. The latest data shows that 97% of childminders were female in 2024. This data is not held at a regional level. This information can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/childcare-and-early-years-provider-survey/2024.

What is the length of the longest serving Magistrate in each Justice area.

In the majority of the 75 Local Justice Areas across England and Wales, the current longest-serving magistrate for each has been in post for over thirty years, with many of these serving in excess of 40 years. In Shropshire, the longest service is 38 years, and across all Local Justice Areas, the longest that a current magistrate has been in service is over 46 years. The full breakdown can be found in the attached table.

What steps her Department is taking to recognise the long service of Magistrates.

The Ministry of Justice recognises the outstanding service of magistrates through several initiatives. Magistrates can be nominated for UK National Honours by anyone who has noticed their exceptional conduct. Additionally, there is a scheme to recognise extended periods of service, where magistrates receive certificates upon reaching 10, 20, and 30 years of service, signed by Lord-Lieutenants and the Lady Chief Justice respectively. Magistrates may also be invited to attend a Royal Garden Party through the allocation of tickets given to the Magistrates Association as a recognition of their invaluable contribution to society.

How many Magistrates have served as Magistrates for (a) 10 years or more, (b) 20 years or more and (c) over 25 years.

Magistrates are a central pillar of our justice system. Their resilience and commitment have been and continue to be vital in ensuring continued access to justice. Of all currently serving magistrates, 3406 have served for 10 years or more, 1273 have served 20 years or more, and 1467 have served over 25 years.

What the cost to the public purse was of (a) Statutory Paternity Leave, (b) Shared Parental Leave and (c) Statutory Maternity Leave in each region in each of the last five years.

Information provided by employers to HMRC shows that the total value of payments made to individuals in receipt of Statutory Paternity Pay, Statutory Shared Parental Pay and Statutory Maternity Pay between 2019/20 and 2023/24 (the latest year for which full year data is available). The table below presents a breakdown of the value of payments made to individuals by the region (based on recipient residence). Table 1. Total value of Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP), Statutory Shared Parental Pay (SShPP) and Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) payments by claimant resident region, 2019/20 to 2023/24Statutory Parental PaymentGovernment Office Region2019/20 (£ millions)2020/21 (£ millions)2021/22 (£ millions)2022/23 (£ millions)2023/24 (£ millions)Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP)East Midlands£4.3£3.7£4.3£4.1£4.8East of England£5.2£4.5£5.3£5.3£6.1London£8.1£7.4£8.5£8.0£9.6North East£2.0£1.7£2.0£2.1£2.4North West£6.5£5.5£6.4£6.4£7.3Northern Ireland£2.0£1.6£1.9£1.9£2.2Scotland£4.4£3.7£4.5£4.2£5.0South East£7.3£6.5£7.7£7.5£8.7South West£4.7£4.0£4.8£4.7£5.3Wales£2.6£2.2£2.5£2.5£2.9West Midlands£5.3£4.4£5.1£5.1£5.9Yorkshire and The Humber£4.9£4.1£4.8£4.7£5.4Other / Unknown£0.6£0.8£1.6£2.2£3.5Total£57.9£50.2£59.3£58.9£69.0Statutory Shared Parental Pay (SShPP)East Midlands£1.1£1.2£1.4£1.4£2.0East of England£2.3£1.7£2.0£2.2£3.0London£6.9£4.9£5.4£5.4£6.2North East£0.5£0.5£0.6£0.6£1.1North West£1.7£1.5£1.9£2.1£3.1Northern Ireland£0.3£0.3£0.3£0.3£0.7Scotland£1.2£1.1£1.3£1.3£1.5South East£3.3£2.9£3.7£4.0£5.6South West£1.8£2.1£2.4£3.0£3.8Wales£0.7£0.6£0.8£0.9£1.2West Midlands£1.2£1.1£1.4£1.6£2.0Yorkshire and The Humber£1.4£1.4£1.4£1.8£2.5Other / Unknown£0.3£0.4£0.6£1.0£1.8Total£22.6£19.5£23.2£25.6£34.4Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP)East Midlands£185.9£181.2£189.5£188.8£203.0East of England£275.5£269.8£285.9£286.6£307.8London£530.1£523.5£554.2£544.8£590.6North East£92.9£89.7£93.3£93.1£102.1North West£295.3£286.6£303.4£304.4£326.2Northern Ireland£91.5£90.8£94.2£91.7£98.9Scotland£207.8£200.8£213.1£209.5£225.0South East£406.2£398.4£421.9£420.8£454.3South West£216.3£212.2£223.4£217.3£233.7Wales£114.1£110.2£115.2£116.4£127.1West Midlands£224.4£221.0£230.3£230.6£249.1Yorkshire and The Humber£207.9£202.7£212.7£211.7£226.4Other / Unknown£36.5£56.2£91.6£136.4£194.1Total£2,884.4£2,843.1£3,028.7£3,052.0£3,338.3Source: HM Revenue and Customers (HMRC) HMRC Real Time Information (RTI) system 2019/20 to 2023/24 Notes:1. All figures are based on HMRC Real Time Information (RTI) system and were extracted in Jan 2025. RTI is subject to revision and there may be small fluctuations in figures reported - these figures should not be considered “final”.2. Figures for the total value of parental payments (£m) are rounded to the nearest hundred thousand.3. Government Office Regions (GOR) are determined by matching the most recent postcode from the previous tax year with the Office for National Statistics’ postcode lookup table. If a partial postcode is provided an assumption is made based on the postcode district or area. The GOR with the most postcodes of a given district is returned. If no postcode is listed then region is marked as unknown. Other includes Channel Islands and Isle of Man.The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) does not routinely collect data on the length of Paternity Leave, Shared Parental Leave and Maternity Leave taken by parents. However, the Government commissioned the Parental Rights Survey which provides the best source of data on the length of parental leave taken, the findings are published here - https://www.employment-studies.co.uk/resource/parental-rights-survey-2019 .In addition, DBT also published HMRC data tables to accompany the Shared Parental Leave evaluation report here which include information on the number of individuals in receipt of SPP, SShPP and SMP by the number of months the payments spanned, this is available here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/shared-parental-leave-spl-evaluation. HMRC or DBT does not hold information which calculates the duration of parental payments by individual claimants.

What the average length of (a) Statutory Paternity Leave, (b) Shared Parental Leave and (c) Statutory Maternity Leave claimed by each claimant has been in each of the past five years.

Information provided by employers to HMRC shows that the total value of payments made to individuals in receipt of Statutory Paternity Pay, Statutory Shared Parental Pay and Statutory Maternity Pay between 2019/20 and 2023/24 (the latest year for which full year data is available). The table below presents a breakdown of the value of payments made to individuals by the region (based on recipient residence). Table 1. Total value of Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP), Statutory Shared Parental Pay (SShPP) and Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) payments by claimant resident region, 2019/20 to 2023/24Statutory Parental PaymentGovernment Office Region2019/20 (£ millions)2020/21 (£ millions)2021/22 (£ millions)2022/23 (£ millions)2023/24 (£ millions)Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP)East Midlands£4.3£3.7£4.3£4.1£4.8East of England£5.2£4.5£5.3£5.3£6.1London£8.1£7.4£8.5£8.0£9.6North East£2.0£1.7£2.0£2.1£2.4North West£6.5£5.5£6.4£6.4£7.3Northern Ireland£2.0£1.6£1.9£1.9£2.2Scotland£4.4£3.7£4.5£4.2£5.0South East£7.3£6.5£7.7£7.5£8.7South West£4.7£4.0£4.8£4.7£5.3Wales£2.6£2.2£2.5£2.5£2.9West Midlands£5.3£4.4£5.1£5.1£5.9Yorkshire and The Humber£4.9£4.1£4.8£4.7£5.4Other / Unknown£0.6£0.8£1.6£2.2£3.5Total£57.9£50.2£59.3£58.9£69.0Statutory Shared Parental Pay (SShPP)East Midlands£1.1£1.2£1.4£1.4£2.0East of England£2.3£1.7£2.0£2.2£3.0London£6.9£4.9£5.4£5.4£6.2North East£0.5£0.5£0.6£0.6£1.1North West£1.7£1.5£1.9£2.1£3.1Northern Ireland£0.3£0.3£0.3£0.3£0.7Scotland£1.2£1.1£1.3£1.3£1.5South East£3.3£2.9£3.7£4.0£5.6South West£1.8£2.1£2.4£3.0£3.8Wales£0.7£0.6£0.8£0.9£1.2West Midlands£1.2£1.1£1.4£1.6£2.0Yorkshire and The Humber£1.4£1.4£1.4£1.8£2.5Other / Unknown£0.3£0.4£0.6£1.0£1.8Total£22.6£19.5£23.2£25.6£34.4Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP)East Midlands£185.9£181.2£189.5£188.8£203.0East of England£275.5£269.8£285.9£286.6£307.8London£530.1£523.5£554.2£544.8£590.6North East£92.9£89.7£93.3£93.1£102.1North West£295.3£286.6£303.4£304.4£326.2Northern Ireland£91.5£90.8£94.2£91.7£98.9Scotland£207.8£200.8£213.1£209.5£225.0South East£406.2£398.4£421.9£420.8£454.3South West£216.3£212.2£223.4£217.3£233.7Wales£114.1£110.2£115.2£116.4£127.1West Midlands£224.4£221.0£230.3£230.6£249.1Yorkshire and The Humber£207.9£202.7£212.7£211.7£226.4Other / Unknown£36.5£56.2£91.6£136.4£194.1Total£2,884.4£2,843.1£3,028.7£3,052.0£3,338.3Source: HM Revenue and Customers (HMRC) HMRC Real Time Information (RTI) system 2019/20 to 2023/24 Notes:1. All figures are based on HMRC Real Time Information (RTI) system and were extracted in Jan 2025. RTI is subject to revision and there may be small fluctuations in figures reported - these figures should not be considered “final”.2. Figures for the total value of parental payments (£m) are rounded to the nearest hundred thousand.3. Government Office Regions (GOR) are determined by matching the most recent postcode from the previous tax year with the Office for National Statistics’ postcode lookup table. If a partial postcode is provided an assumption is made based on the postcode district or area. The GOR with the most postcodes of a given district is returned. If no postcode is listed then region is marked as unknown. Other includes Channel Islands and Isle of Man.The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) does not routinely collect data on the length of Paternity Leave, Shared Parental Leave and Maternity Leave taken by parents. However, the Government commissioned the Parental Rights Survey which provides the best source of data on the length of parental leave taken, the findings are published here - https://www.employment-studies.co.uk/resource/parental-rights-survey-2019 .In addition, DBT also published HMRC data tables to accompany the Shared Parental Leave evaluation report here which include information on the number of individuals in receipt of SPP, SShPP and SMP by the number of months the payments spanned, this is available here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/shared-parental-leave-spl-evaluation. HMRC or DBT does not hold information which calculates the duration of parental payments by individual claimants.

Who the longest serving police community support officer is in each police force; and what steps her Department is taking to recognise long service of police community support officers.

The Home Office does not publish information on the length of service of PCSOs.The Home Office will consider any proposal for national long service recognition for Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs).It is only right that we recognise the commitment shown by PCSOs across the country and whose roles are undeniably at the sharp end of policing, diffusing community tensions and providing visible policing presence in our communities.

What information other Department holds on the number of (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) SEND school places there were in (i) Telford constituency and (ii) Telford and Wrekin Council in each of the last ten years.

Data on state-funded school places is published at national, local authority and school level in the annual School Capacity statistics publication. Data is available for academic years 2009/10 to 2023/24. Data on special educational needs provision was collected as part of the School Capacity Survey for the first time in 2023 and is available for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years.School capacity data are not published at constituency level. However, data is published at school level that can be combined with information from ‘Get Information About Schools’ (GIAS) to identify parliamentary constituency. The data can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-catalogue/data-set/bf165de6-3b9a-4014-83b5-232454343797.The number of primary and secondary mainstream state-funded school places in Telford and Wrekin local authority at 1 May of each year between 2014 and 2024, can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/a6913939-ccb4-4dbe-7d54-08dd7ece5be0.The number of state-funded special schools and special school places in Telford and Wrekin local authority at 1 May of each year between 2023 and 2024, can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/4cc1f815-cec7-41af-d97b-08dd800922cb.The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities.

How many teaching staff there are in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools by gender in each region.

Information on the school workforce, including the number of teachers and teaching assistants broken down by school phase, gender and region, is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.As of November 2023, the latest date for which data is available, there was a headcount of 478,085 teachers and 335,693 teaching assistants employed in state-funded nursery, primary and secondary schools. A breakdown by school phase, gender and region is available for teachers at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/689fc171-b2a5-40de-d968-08dd800922cb, and for teaching assistants at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/658213e6-bcab-45db-7d3c-08dd7ece5be0.

How many warranted police officers are in West Mercia Police for each year that data is available.

The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size of the police workforce in England and Wales on a bi-annual basis in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.The latest information at the link above covers the situation as at 30 September 2024. Information on the number of police officers, broken down by police force area, at the end of each financial year (31 March) from 2007 to 2024 can be found in the ‘Police Workforce Open Data Table’ here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/678faaf93087686d77328ade/open-data-table-police-workforce-220125.odsData on the police workforce as at 31 March 2025 is due to be published in Summer 2025.

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 April 2025 to Question 36463 on Free School Meals, what arrangements are in place for transitional protections on free school meal entitlements for the 2025-26 financial year.

As with all government programmes, including free school meals, we keep our approach under continued review. Support for children to access free school meals, has additionally been considered as part of the Child Poverty Taskforce’s consideration of how to:1. Support households to increase their income including considering social security reforms that support people into work and alleviate poverty.2. Help to bring down essential household costs, build savings and tackle problem debt.3. Alleviate the negative experience of living in poverty, including through supporting families and the role of public services.No pupil will see any change because of changes to traditional protections until after the summer and the department will communicate further with schools before that time.

When she plans to answer Question 36463, tabled on 7 March 2025.

A response to Question 36463 was published on 11 April 2025 and can be found here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-03-07/36463.

What steps her Department is taking to help tackle spiking.

Spiking is an appalling crime that undermines the people's right to feel safe when they are simply enjoying a night out.The Government is currently delivering a range of measures to tackle this vile practice, specifically targeted at raising awareness, identifying perpetrators, and gathering evidence. They include:Introducing a new criminal offence for spiking to help police better respond to this crime. This is being delivered through the Crime and Policing Bill which is currently at Committee Stage in the House of Commons.Funding the development and delivery of increased training on spiking to staff in the Night Time Economy at no cost to venues.Working with the regulator of the UK private security industry, the Security Industry Authority to deliver mandatory spiking training for their 352,000+ door supervisor licence holders by April 2028. This has already been delivered to more than 135,000 new licence applicants since Spring 2024.The funding of police spiking "intensification weeks" which have seen an enhanced focus on spiking and led to increased arrests, detections, and prevention activity taking place.Investing in research into the accuracy and efficacy of commercially available spiking testing kits, to help the police detect if someone has been spiked in real-time.The Home Office works closely with the hospitality and third sectors, as well as law enforcement to ensure that we are delivering measures on spiking which make it more difficult to carry out in the first place, that venues and the emergency services are proving the best possible response, and that victims are listened to and feel supported.A wide range of spiking training, resources, support and advice options are available across a number of organisations, many of whom are referenced on the Government's spiking web pages or within our training package.