Written questions by Raja.

What steps her Department is taking to provide incentives to Local Highway Authorities to achieve green ratings under traffic light rankings for pothole repairs; and whether she plans to impose consequences on authorities not achieving green ratings.

The Government has provided a record investment of £7.3 billion for local highways maintenance over the next four years. A portion of this funding is incentive funding, which is subject to local highway authorities publishing their maintenance plans and meeting performance-based criteria. By meeting these criteria, local highway authorities will also be able to achieve better ratings. Any authorities that received a red rating under the Department’s rating system also receive access to a dedicated support programme to help them improve their rating and local road conditions. At present, the Department has no plans to penalise or withhold resources from local highway authorities that do not achieve a green rating. We instead aim to support local highway authorities – through our record funding and wider support and guidance – so that they can achieve a better rating and to ensure road conditions improve nationwide.

What funding she has allocated to National Highways for ongoing repairs and maintenance of motorways and strategic A roads in addition to funding provided in the Autumn Budget 2025.

The third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3) due to be published in March will set out the funding that will be provided to National Highways for the operation, maintenance and renewal of the strategic road network over the period from 2026/27 to 2030/31.

What guidance his Department issues to first aid training providers on anatomical differences between men and women relevant to the delivery of CPR.

The Department is aware of research that shows differences in bystander response in providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to men versus women. Research also shows that training is key to improving bystander confidence in providing CPR to women and use of female manikins may assist in this.NHS England has published a list of tools and resources on its website to improve cardiac arrest outcomes, with further information available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/clinical-policy/cvd/improving-outcomes-in-cardiac-arrest-tools-and-resources/This includes guidance from St John’s Ambulance on How to do CPR and use a defibrillator on a person with breasts, which is available at the following link:https://www.sja.org.uk/first-aid-advice/cpr-on-women-and-other-people-with-breasts/

How much and what proportion of Vehicle Excise Duty receipts was (a) allocated to and (b) spent on road repair and maintenance in the 2024-25 tax year.

The Consolidated Fund receives the proceeds of Vehicle Excise Duty along with most other tax revenues to support public services and investment in infrastructure, including vehicle infrastructure and road maintenance. The Government is going well beyond its promise to fix an additional one million potholes per year, by providing funding to fix the equivalent of more than seven million extra potholes in 2025/26 in England.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the predominant use of male CPR manikins in first aid training on survival outcomes for women experiencing cardiac arrest.

The Department is aware of research that shows differences in bystander response in providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to men versus women. Research also shows that training is key to improving bystander confidence in providing CPR to women and use of female manikins may assist in this.NHS England has published a list of tools and resources on its website to improve cardiac arrest outcomes, with further information available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/clinical-policy/cvd/improving-outcomes-in-cardiac-arrest-tools-and-resources/This includes guidance from St John’s Ambulance on How to do CPR and use a defibrillator on a person with breasts, which is available at the following link:https://www.sja.org.uk/first-aid-advice/cpr-on-women-and-other-people-with-breasts/

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure that estate agents comply with existing consumer protection law; to help support effective enforcement action against rogue operators who mislead consumers; and to help ensure regulations on responsible businesses are not burdensome.

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA), protects consumers from unfair trading practices and prohibits traders, including estate agents, from omitting (or providing unclear, untimely or obscure) material information to consumers in any ‘invitation to purchase’.The DMCCA strengthens consumer law enforcement by giving the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) new administrative powers, and the CMA and courts the ability to impose significant monetary penalties of up to 10% of turnover.The CMA has published updated guidance on price transparency and unfair commercial practices to help businesses comply.

Whether her Department is taking steps to help reduce the rate of Air Passenger Duty for (a) domestic flights and (b) flights to European destinations.

The government is committed to securing the long-term future of the aviation sector in the UK and recognises the benefits of the connectivity it creates between the UK and the rest of the world. The rate of Air Passenger Duty (APD) in part depends on destination. There are four destination bands, including a domestic band (for destinations in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), and Band A (which includes all destinations in the EU and EEA and other European destinations). From 1 April 2026, the reduced rates for domestic and Band A flights will be £8 and £15 respectively. This compares with rates of £102 and £106 for Bands B and C respectively (which apply to destinations further away from London). Following recent increases to APD rates to account for higher-than-expected levels of inflation, at Budget 2025, the government announced it will uprate APD rates in line with RPI from 1 April 2027 and round to the nearest penny. This constitutes a real terms freeze. This will ensure that airlines continue to make a fair contribution to the public finances, particularly given that tickets are VAT free and aviation fuel incurs no duty.

How many individuals convicted of sexual offences have been sentenced to immediate custody during the current Parliament; and what percentage of all individuals convicted of sexual offences received an immediate custodial sentence during that same period.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions and sentences for a variety of offences, including sexual offences, in the Outcomes by Offences data tool. The tool can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK. The data can be filtered by ‘month’ and ‘year’.

Whether her Department has any plans to make (a) Universal Credit, (b) Employment and Support Allowance, and (c) Housing Benefit taxable state benefits.

Means-tested benefits that are designed to meet specific costs, such as Universal Credit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance and Pension Credit, are not taxable, and the government has no current plans to alter this.

Media and Sport, what guidance her department provides on ensuring that sports facilities and stadia in (a) Leicester, (b) the East Midlands and (c) the UK are safe and welcoming environments for women and girls.

The Government is committed to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and ensuring all sports facilities and stadia are welcoming and safe for women and girls. We’ve launched the Women’s Sport Taskforce to tackle challenges and barriers facing women and girls in sport, from grassroots to elite, and are harnessing the power of hosting major sporting events, such as investing £6.7 million into the Impact 25’ programme for the Women’s Rugby World Cup to make facilities more accessible for women. We are also investing £80.3 million in high-quality grassroots sports facilities through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities (MSGF) Programme in England in 2025/26, and will also invest £68.35 million in 26/27. We will more than double priority access to grassroots football pitches for women and girls over the next four years. MSGF funded facilities should reserve at least 20% of priority use slots for women and girls teams. Our delivery partner in England, the Football Foundation, has recently announced the Lionesses HERe to Play Fund which will help to ensure grassroots sports facilities across England are welcoming, safe and accessible for a new generation of women and girls. Our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign has also worked with ukactive, CIMSPA and Women’s Aid to publish new guidance to help fitness and leisure facilities continue to create safer spaces for women and girls to be active. In addition, the safety of all those who attend sporting fixtures is a priority for the Government. The Government funds the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) whose purpose is to ensure sports grounds are safe for everyone, including women and girls. The SGSA continues to support world class standards of physical supporter safety for all attendees.

Media and Sport, what support her Department provides to increase participation in grassroots sport in (a) Leicester and (b) Leicestershire.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, has access to and benefits from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.That is why we provide the majority of support for grassroots sport through our arm’s length body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million of National Lottery and exchequer funding. The City of Leicester received a total of £971,350 of Sport England funding in 2024/25. The County of Leicestershire received a total of £1,937,467 million of Sport England funding in 2024/25.In addition, on 27 January, the Government announced that £85 million of the £400 million package for grassroots sport facilities will be invested in during 2026/27, funding the continuation of the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme. This funding is designed to increase participation opportunities and benefit the areas most in need, with 50% investment going to the 30% most deprived areas in the UK.

What measures are being taken to ensure student safety on university campuses in (a) Leicester, (b) the East Midlands, and (c) the UK.

I stand with Members across this House in expressing my sorrow at the killing of Khaleed Oladipo near De Montfort University on 4 February 2026, and I pay tribute to the members of the public and emergency services who fought to save him.Student safety is of utmost importance. As autonomous institutions, universities are responsible for setting their own policies and security arrangements to ensure the safety of students and staff on campus, maintaining robust welfare and risk‑management procedures to protect their students, even though they do not operate under a statutory safeguarding duty.In the wake of Mr Oladipo’s death, De Montford University continues to work proactively with staff and students to offer support and reassurance. Enhanced police patrols remain in place. Universities also provide a range of practical support to help keep students safe and supported while on campus.In August 2025, the Office for Students strengthened its regulatory oversight through a new registration condition for all English universities that sets out clear requirements for preventing and responding to harassment of all kinds on campus.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the number of new homes that could be delivered by reducing the average time taken to determine planning applications.

My Department routinely assesses the impact of regulatory changes in terms of their impact on housing supply.

What recent estimate he has made of the number of people who leave higher education without completing their course and subsequently claim out-of-work benefits within (a) three months, (b) six months and (c) one year of leaving university.

This information is not held.

What recent estimate he has made of the number of people who leave higher education having completed their course and subsequently claim out-of-work benefits within (a) three months, (b) six months and (c) one year of leaving university.

This information is not held.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the level of digital exclusion in Leicester; and what steps she is taking to improve the level of digital skills and access.

Everyone should be able to benefit from the digital world – helping families save money, get a better job, and access services like the NHS more easily.But we know some people face real barriers. Data from 2025 shows that 18% adults in the UK labour force lack essential digital skills for work, while 7% of households in the East Midlands do not have access to the internet.That’s why we published the Digital Inclusion Action Plan, and why we’re now delivering the foundations: better connectivity, more devices reaching people who need them, and support to build skills and confidence in communities across the UK.This has included launching the £11.9 million Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund, with £35,391.97 going to Leicester City Council and £90,625 to Wesley Hall Community Centre, helping more people across the UK get the access, skills and confidence to get online.

Whether his Department plans to provide additional funding to a) Leicester and b) Leicestershire to reduce NHS waiting lists.

National Health Service funding for local services, including in Leicester and Leicestershire, is allocated to integrated care boards using NHS England’s Fair Share model and the NHS resource allocation formula.This formula is designed to support equal opportunity of access for equal need, taking into account factors such as demography, morbidity, levels of deprivation, and the unavoidable costs of providing services in different areas. It is based on independent academic research and overseen by the independent Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation, which provides advice to my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and the Chief Executive of NHS England.Through the 2025 Spending Review, announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in June 2025, the Government has prioritised health with a record investment in the health and social care system. The Government is providing £29 billion more day-to-day funding in real terms by 2028/29 than in 2023/24, alongside the largest ever health capital budget, with a £2.3 billion real-terms increase in capital spending over the Spending Review period.This will support delivery of our commitment that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029, including patients in Leicester and Leicestershire.

What was the evidential basis for the decision to freeze the student loan repayment threshold for graduates; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of this on graduates' disposable incomes.

The fiscal situation this government inherited means we’ve had to make tough but fair choices, including on student loan repayment threshold freezes. Student loan borrowers repay a portion of their income (typically 9%) above the repayment threshold. A Plan 2 graduate earning £30,000 will repay only around £4 a month in FY2026–27. The student finance system is heavily subsidised by government, and lower-earning graduates will always be protected, with any outstanding loan and interest cancelled at the end of the repayment term. It is right that those who are able to repay do so. The Department for Education has published analysis of the impact of the repayment threshold freeze on total repayments here.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of SEND transport contracts on local authority spending; and whether she plans to introduce annual cost caps.

We know challenges in the SEND system are creating pressures on home-to-school travel. We will reform the SEND system to enable more children to thrive in local mainstream settings. This will mean fewer children need to travel long distances to access education, reducing the burden on local authorities. The reforms will be set out in the Schools White Paper.Local councils decide how to arrange travel for eligible children. They use a mix of in-house services, public transport passes and contracts with private operators. Contracts are a matter for the council and operator. We encourage councils to have robust arrangements. Many are reviewing and improving their procurement practices.We are supporting councils through a new home-to-school travel data collection to support benchmarking, publishing guidance to support joined-up decision-making, and creating a bespoke home-to-school travel funding formula within the local government finance settlement. We have no current plans to introduce a price cap.

Communities and Local Government, a) what progress has been made on streamlining the planning process to reduce delays for compliant housing developments and b) whether his Department plans to introduce further measures to increase certainty for applicants.

Significant progress has been made in respect of streamlining the planning process to reduce delays for compliant housing developments. A revised National Planning Policy Framework was published on the 12 December 2024. The government is currently consulting on a new NPPF that includes clearer, ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making. The consultation can be found on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026. The Planning and Infrastructure Act, which contains a number of provisions designed to improve certainty and decision-making in the planning system, received Royal Assent on 18 December 2025. On 18 November 2025, my Department published a consultation on reforms to the statutory consultee system. That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, closed on 13 January 2026.