Written questions by Forster.

Whether she will include Pathological Demand Avoidance in the proposed reforms to SEND provision.

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

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 April 2026 to Question 125067 on Motability, in what circumstances the reduction in mileage allowance from 20,000 miles to 10,000 miles a year can be mitigated.

Responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors. This includes how they will determine what circumstances the reduction in mileage allowance can be mitigated. Motability have indicated that they will be introducing an exceptions process for very limited situations and will share an update before 1 July.

What assessment her Department has made of the impact of loss of the expiry of the Plug-in Motorcycle Grant on the UK electric motorcycle market.

In February 2025, we announced the decision to close the Plug-in Motorcycle Grant, which closed at the end of the 2025/26 financial year. Ending the £500 Plug-in Motorcycle Grant is not expected to have a significant impact on uptake of zero emission motorcycles or on riders. The Government, working with industry, will monitor the development of the zero emission motorcycle market and the need for any further interventions on an ongoing basis.

What work her Department is undertaking to develop a long-term policy framework to support the uptake of zero emission L-Category vehicles.

Decarbonising transport is critical to ensuring that the UK meets its net zero commitment by 2050 and all road vehicles have a part to play in this. The Plug-in Motorcycle Grant has now ended after supporting over 15,500 vehicle purchases since 2016. We will continue to monitor the development of the zero emission motorcycle market and the need for any further policy interventions.

What assessment she has made of the potential economic impact of removing support for electric motorcycles relative to the cost of the scheme.

In February 2025, we announced the decision to close the Plug-in Motorcycle Grant, which closed at the end of the 2025/26 financial year. Ending the £500 Plug-in Motorcycle Grant is not expected to have a significant impact on uptake of zero emission motorcycles or on riders. The Government, working with industry, will monitor the development of the zero emission motorcycle market and the need for any further interventions on an ongoing basis.

What assessment has been made of the potential impact of the Plug-in Motorcycle Grant expiry on investment confidence and jobs in the UK motorcycle and L-Category vehicle sector.

In February 2025, we announced the decision to close the Plug-in Motorcycle Grant, which closed at the end of the 2025/26 financial year. Ending the £500 Plug-in Motorcycle Grant is not expected to have a significant impact on uptake of zero emission motorcycles or on riders. The Government, working with industry, will monitor the development of the zero emission motorcycle market and the need for any further interventions on an ongoing basis.

What discussions she has had with local authorities in Surrey on delivering Best Start Family Hubs in the area.

The government has committed to provide funding for all local authorities to deliver Best Start Family Hubs, backed by over £900 million. In October 2025, the department paid a £351,991 development grant to Surrey local authority, the start of the investment to be provided to rebuild family services. Surrey local authority has a funding allocation of £7,709,100.00 to deliver Best Start Family Hubs from 2026/29 and they now have two Best Start Family Hubs open in Guildford and Reigate.The department works closely with local authorities to monitor implementation and ensure they are meeting programme expectations. Each local authority has a named contact responsible for overseeing delivery, and the department intends to work in close partnership with local authorities to review progress, share effective practice, and ensure areas are appropriately supported to drive improvements for children and families. Guidance for Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies was provided to local authorities on delivery expectations for April 2026 to March 2029 and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/best-start-family-hubs-and-healthy-babies-guidance-for-local-authorities.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce the time taken for Personal Independence Payment assessments which impact the (a) application for and (b) renewal of Blue Badges.

We are committed to ensuring people can access financial support through Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in a timely manner. Reducing customer journey times for PIP claimants is a priority for the Department and we are working constantly to make improvements to our service, which is kept under regular review. We always aim to make an award decision as quickly as possible, taking into account the need to review all available evidence, including that from the claimant. The provision of Blue Badges is a devolved matter and administered by Local Authorities, using Department of Transport guidelines. Access to a Blue Badge is available to people who are not in receipt of a qualifying mobility benefit through a separate assessment carried out by the Local Authority.

What plans his department has to tackle the decline in the number of health visits to families with young children.

The number of health visits which must be offered to families in England has remained the same since 2015, with additional support provided according to need. Families must be offered at least five health visits, with four of these taking place post birth.Health visiting service delivery data for England is published annually. The latest published data shows that, at a national level, a greater percentage of children received each post-birth health visit in 2024/25 compared to 2023/24, with the datasets and statistical commentaries available at the following two links:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/health-visitor-service-delivery-metrics-april-2023-to-march-2024-annual-2023-to-2024https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/health-visitor-service-delivery-data-for-2024-to-2025However, we recognise there is unwarranted regional variation in delivery, and we are working to reduce this. In line with the Government’s commitment to strengthening health visiting, set out in the Best Start in Life Strategy, we have recently published refreshed guidance for the Healthy Child Programme, which specifies requirements for health visiting services, in order to strengthen delivery and promote consistency in service quality. We are working closely with regional colleagues to support the implementation of this guidance across the country.

Whether her Department has considered expanding statutory guidance for schools on supporting children and young people with medical conditions to all school types.

The statutory guidance, ‘Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions’, is issued under section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014. This requires local authority-maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions, and to have regard to statutory guidance.As part of the department’s consultation on revised statutory guidance on medical conditions at school, we are inviting views on whether we should seek to extend the section 100 duty to cover independent schools, non-maintained special schools and post-16 institutions. This would ensure the guidance is statutory guidance for all types of school.

What the longest time was that it has taken for a paid for priority and super priority application to be turned around and decided since 2000.

Statistics on UK Visas and Immigration applications is published in table VSI_01a on GOV.UK in the ‘Visas, status and immigration data: October to December 2025’, as part of the 'Migration Transparency data'. The information displayed goes back to 2021. For migration transparency data before 2021 please see the ‘Migration Transparency Data – March 2014 to December 2024’ on National Archives website.The VSI_01a data table provides data on the volume of overseas and in-country applications received and input for each route and performance against service standard for each route including for Priority and Super Priority Services.UKVI’s communications to visa customers applying for Priority and Super Priority Services set out that it can take longer to get a decision beyond the advertised waiting times for these services. For example, if the Home Office needs to ask for more information or check details with other government departments. Where an individual who has applied for these services may experience a delay beyond advertised times for these services, customers are notified by relevant UKVI caseworking teams.

What the average waiting time is for a paid for priority and super priority application to be turned around and decided.

Visa processing times for priority and super priority applications are published on the UKVI website at Visa decision waiting times: applications outside the UK - GOV.UK and Visa decision waiting times: applications inside the UK - GOV.UK. UKVI are currently processing applications on the overwhelming majority of its visa routes within their published customer service standards.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that reductions in electricity costs are passed on to consumers in park home communities.

Park homes residents who pay for their electricity via their site owner are protected from excessive charges by the Maximum Resale Price provisions drafted by Ofgem. The provisions prevent businesses from reselling energy to the residents at a higher price than the price that they paid to the licensed energy supplier. Consumers are entitled to receive a breakdown of the costs incurred by the party that arranges your energy contract upon request. The breakdown should include details of the cost of electricity and/or gas, standing charges and VAT paid. The measures taken in the Autumn Budget reduce the cost of electricity and therefore benefit all households with a domestic electricity meter, including those not on the gas grid – and the Chancellor and I are exploring ways to support eligible households on non-domestic contracts, like park homes, too.

Has the department reviewed the impact on disabled people when changing the mileage allowance from 20,000 miles to 10,000 miles in the Motability Scheme.

Responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors. The changes to the leasing package were announced on 26 March and include reducing the mileage allowance from 20,000 per year to 10,000 per year. Changes only apply to new leases and there are no changes to the mileage allowance of existing leases. Motability Foundation have advised that approximately 75% of customers on the Scheme already use less miles than the proposed new mileage allowance. They have acknowledged that there will be an impact on some customers and are considering if the impact can be mitigated in some limited circumstances.

Whether she has considered banning Valentina Gomez from entering the country.

The Home Office does not routinely comment on individual cases.The Home Secretary has the power to exclude a person who is not a British Citizen if their presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good. The Immigration Rules also provide for the refusal of entry clearance or permission at the border if a person’s character, conduct or associations mean it is undesirable to grant them entry to the UK.

What guidance his Department has provided to Iranians visiting the UK, who have with health conditions, that are unable to return to Iran.

The Department has not issued any specific guidance for Iranians with health conditions who are visiting the United Kingdom. Furthermore, the Department of Health and Social Care has not engaged in discussions with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office concerning Iranians visiting the UK who require cancer treatment.In England, the National Health Service is a residency‑based system and only those who are ordinarily resident in the UK, or otherwise exempt under the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015, are entitled to NHS care without charge, however, decisions about whether treatment is provided are always made by clinicians on the basis of clinical need, and urgent or immediately necessary care must not be delayed or denied because of charging considerations.

What conversations his Department has had with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office regarding cancer patients visiting the UK on a visa who are undergoing treatment in Iran; and whether it has a plan to deal with the impact of the war on people with cancer in this predicament.

The Department has not issued any specific guidance for Iranians with health conditions who are visiting the United Kingdom. Furthermore, the Department of Health and Social Care has not engaged in discussions with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office concerning Iranians visiting the UK who require cancer treatment.In England, the National Health Service is a residency‑based system and only those who are ordinarily resident in the UK, or otherwise exempt under the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015, are entitled to NHS care without charge, however, decisions about whether treatment is provided are always made by clinicians on the basis of clinical need, and urgent or immediately necessary care must not be delayed or denied because of charging considerations.

What steps his department is taking to help ensure that businesses sympathetically consider when their customers are receiving palliative care in debt recovery and repossession cases.

The Government recognises the importance of responsible and fair practices for debt recovery and understands the negative impact that aggressive or wrongful pursuit of debt can have on individuals. Firms which collect on consumer credit agreements or mortgages must be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) which expects firms to treat customers fairly and has a range of supervisory and enforcement tools to address breaches of its rules. The FCA also requires that firms consider customer vulnerability, including health conditions, to ensure staff have the right skills and capability to respond.The Government also has a number of measures in place to help people to avoid repossession, as well as providing protection in the courts through the Pre-Action Protocol, which makes it clear that repossession must always be the last resort for lenders.

What guidance the department has provided to people trapped in the UK, who are visiting from Iran.

The Home Office continues to monitor the situation in Iran and its impacts. We recognise the disruption to travel routes through the Middle East and the impact on people whose onward travel has been delayed.Those already living in the UK who have permission to stay should continue to follow their immigration conditions. For those whose permission to stay is due to expire, there are a variety of existing routes under the Immigration Rules to allow a person to extend or vary their permission in the UK. Guidance on varying permission to stay can be found on the GOV.UK website: Vary your immigration application - GOV.UK.

Whether her department has assessed the impact of noise levels from National Highway project’s on community groups.

National Highways is responsible for assessing noise associated with individual road schemes as part of the planning process, alongside managing noise from the Strategic Road Network more generally. The Department sets out its expectations on what National Highways must do to mitigate noise from the Strategic Road Network as part of its Road Investment Strategies, and will shortly be publishing the third Road Investment Strategy (RIS3). In the case of transport noise, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is responsible for assessing noise across England and conducts noise mapping as part of implementing the Environmental Noise (England) Regulations 2006. National Highways’s noise mitigation work is focused on those areas defined by Defra as Noise Important Areas, within its Noise Action Plans.