Written questions by Coghlan.

Whether he has considered the potential impact of the proposed timeline for the NHS Neighbourhood Rebuild programme on the involvement of the new unitary authorities.

Published on 17 March 2026, the Neighbourhood Health Framework empowers local leaders to develop and scale neighbourhood health. It provides clarity and consistency to support joined-up partnership between integrated care boards (ICBs), local authorities, and other partners. Through Health and Wellbeing Boards, they will work together to develop locally led Neighbourhood Health Plans and align approaches to commissioning to support the integration of health and care services. However, local ICBs will remain directly responsible for commissioning services within Neighbourhood Health Centres and not the local authority.

With reference to the Secretary of State for Transport's correspondence entitled The growing risks to maritime safety, published 26 January 2026, what assessment his Department has made of the security implications of shadow fleet vessels operating in the North Sea, North Atlantic, and Baltic; and what steps the Royal Navy is taking alongside international allies to enforce maritime regulations against specific sanctioned vessels, including the Baro, Rimma, Mariel, Maylo, Viking, Prosperity, and Breeze, to prevent sanction evasion and protect the UK’s maritime environment.

Deterring and disrupting the Russian shadow fleet is a priority for the UK, and we are working closely with our allies and partners to do so including sharing information through the Joint Maritime Security Centre. The Royal Navy constantly monitors activity in UK waters, remaining ready and prepared to respond to any threats and to support our allies.

What plans her Department has to review the legal requirements for e-bike identification and rider accountability, in light of the challenges in prosecuting riders involved in serious collisions with pedestrians.

Only e-bikes that comply with the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle (EAPC) Regulations 1983 are legal to use on the roads. While the Government has no plans to introduce new rider identification requirements for road legal bikes, it is the case that e-bikes which do not comply with the EAPC Regulations are classed as motor vehicles. This means they must be registered, taxed and insured. The rider must also wear a safety helmet and hold a driving licence. The police have the powers to seize such e-bikes that have not been appropriately registered as motor vehicles. In addition, new offences for cyclists who cause the death or serious injury of another person are being introduced in the Crime and Policing Bill. This will mean that cyclists will face the same penalties as those who commit motoring offences.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the proposed revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of encouraging low-density development within walking distance of well connected stations.

Encouraging low-density development within reasonable walking distance of well-connected stations is contrary to this government’s objectives. As such, we did not include proposals to that end as part of the consultation on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that took place between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026 and we have made no specific assessment of any such policy. The consultation on the revised Framework, which can be found on gov.uk here, included proposals relating to minimum density standards within reasonable walking distance of well-connected stations. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.

With reference to (a) her confirmation of 24 March 2026 that her Department accepts Surrey County Council’s decision to continue with FS0756 Betchwood Vale Academy, (b) the Answer of 3 February 2025 to Question 27008 on Free Schools, Dorking, and (c) the Minister for Early Education’s letter (ref. 20245-0039819) of 24 December 2024, what the status is of each of the reports and surveys completed in support of the initial planning application submitted by the Department which in February 2025 were in the process of being reviewed and refreshed by the Department’s appointed construction contractor; and what plans and timetable the Department has to engage with Mole Valley District Council planning officers to progress a new or revised planning application.

The department confirmed Surrey County Council’s decision to continue with Betchwood Vale Academy on 24 March. Officials are working on a new delivery programme and will be in contact with Surrey County Council and the Trust to discuss next steps. A review of all planning documentation will be required before a new or revised planning application can be submitted.

What assessment she has made of the value for money of the decision by National Highways to block up the Queensbury Tunnel in the Bradford Metropolitan District.

Sustrans (now called Walk, Wheel, Cycle Trust) produced a report for Bradford Council that assessed the Benefit Cost Ratios (BCR) of the active travel route options. The options included routes that would use the Queensbury Tunnel. The report made clear that the BCR scored for the routes were all very close indicating that none of them represented significantly better value for money over the others. Funding for an Active Travel route is the responsibility of the Local Authority. Therefore, without a clear commitment from either Bradford Council or West Yorkshire Combined Authority to provide funding for an active travel route utilising the tunnel, the difficult decision was taken to close the tunnel, subject to the appropriate planning approvals.

Innovation and Technology, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that online platforms tackle fraud on their services.

The Online Safety Act lists fraud as a priority offence, meaning that in-scope services must now prevent and minimise user-generated fraud content from appearing on their platforms, and swiftly remove it if it does. Services designated by Ofcom as Category 1 and 2A (large user-to-user and large search services respectively) will have additional duties to tackle paid-for fraudulent advertising. Ofcom aims to publish its categorisation register, and to consult on the additional duties for categorised services – including on fraudulent advertising - around July 2026.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of funding for energy security research and development on the economy.

The Government announced record public R&D investment of £86 billion over the four years to 2030 and our Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan sets out the UK’s major growth opportunities from the energy transition. This includes £2.5bn investment in fusion research and commercialisation creating thousands of jobs and developing a UK supply chain.

If she will review section 1.37 of the School Admissions Code 2021 to assess the potential benefits of requiring all schools designated with a religious character to prioritise all looked-after and previously looked-after children in their admissions arrangements, regardless of faith.

The department values the contribution schools with a religious character make to a diverse school system, and it is important faith schools can set admissions criteria that work for their local circumstances.As a minimum, faith schools must give priority to looked after children and previously looked after children of the faith before giving priority to other children of faith. Faith schools may also choose but are not required to give top priority to looked-after and previously looked after children regardless of faith.

Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to help ensure that developers do not remove affordable housing when sites are deemed unviable.

The government is committed to strengthening the system of developer contributions to ensure new developments provide necessary affordable homes and infrastructure. Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, we consulted on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, included proposals relating to developer contributions and viability which seek to promote greater clarity on expected contributions at the plan-making stage, and reduce cases of unnecessary site-specific viability assessment by clarifying when it may be appropriate at the decision-making stage. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.

What steps she is taking to ensure the new digital service will handle applications with greater efficiency and consistency to tackle to backlog in medical license issues and renewal wait times.

The DVLA’s new casework system for driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated will deliver significant improvements and the DVLA is also launching a new digital medical services portal in April. These enhancements, alongside the recruitment of additional staff to deal with medical applications and answer telephone calls, will deliver real improvements in services and turnaround times for customers. Applicants renewing an existing licence may be able to continue driving while their application is being processed, providing they can meet specific criteria. More information on this can be found at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1180997/inf1886-can-i-drive-while-my-application-is-with-dvla.pdf.

Following the National Screening Committee Report on prostate cancer screening in November, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) establishing an NHS information campaign to raise awareness of prostate cancer referral routes for GPs and (b) issuing specific guidance to GPs on informing patients about the (i) NICE and (ii) PCRMP referral routes.

On 28 November 2025, the UK National Screening Committee opened a 12-week public consultation on a draft recommendation on screening for prostate cancer. This consultation has now closed, and the Committee is considering the responses.We anticipate a final recommendation soon. After this, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will make a decision on whether to accept the recommendation, and what next steps are needed. At that point, he will make a decision on implementation, including any resources that may be required for general practitioners and other healthcare professionals to support his decision.

What steps his Department is taking to (1) help tacklethe number of NHS dental practices in and around Dorking and Horley that are not accepting new NHS patients; and (2) increase access to NHS dentists accepting new patients in those areas.

Patients in England are not registered with a National Health Service dental practice, although many NHS dental practices do tend to see patients regularly. There is no geographical restriction on which practice a patient may attend. Some dental practices may operate local waiting list arrangements.Integrated care board (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population. For the Dorking and Horley constituency, this is the Surrey Heartlands ICB.In the Surrey Heartlands ICB, the ICB for Dorking and Horley, 14,625, or 4%, more NHS dental treatments were delivered in April to October 2025 compared to the same period before the election.The Government is committed to ensuring people can access urgent dental care when they need it. Over the past year, ICBs have been commissioning additional urgent dental appointments and there is now an urgent care safety net available in all areas of the country. We are broadening the scope of the 700,000 dental appointments commitment so that the additional appointments can be used for more patients, not just those who meet the clinical criteria for “urgent” care. We are committed to delivering fundamental reform of the dental contract before the end of this Parliament. As a first step, on 16 December we published the Government’s response to the public consultation on quality and payment reforms to the NHS dental contract. The changes will be introduced from April 2026. These reforms will put patients with greatest need first, incentivising urgent care and complex treatments. More information is available from the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/nhs-dentistry-contract-quality-and-payment-reforms/outcome/government-response-to-consultation-on-nhs-dentistry-contract-quality-and-payment-reforms

How many non-commissioned officers ranked Staff Sergeant or above, have left the Army in the last 3 years, broken down per year.

Figures for outflow of non-commissioned officers ranked Staff Sergeant or above can be found below. Army Trade Trained Regular Non-Commissioned Officer Outflow, Staff Sergeant to Warrant Officer 1Financial Year (FY)Numbers OutflowingOutflow Rate2022-231,25012.6%2023-241,14811.8%2024-251,09111.2% Notes/Caveats The figures are for the Trade Trained Regular Army only and therefore exclude Gurkhas, Full Time Reserve Service, Mobilised Reserves, Army Reserve and all other Reserves, but includes those personnel that have transferred from GURTAM to UKTAP. Figures include the following paid ranks: Staff Sergeant, Warrant Officer 2, Warrant Officer 1. Outflow encompasses all types of Outflow, excluding promotions from Other Ranks to Officers. This includes Voluntary Outflow, Administrative Discharge, Medical Discharge, and those who have come to the end of their engagement. Outflow rates are calculated by dividing the 12-month rolling outflow number by the average strength of the population over the same period.

If she plans to undertake a public awareness campaign to promote the new Highway Code rules as part of the Road Safety strategy.

Improving road safety is one of my Department’s highest priorities. Injuries and fatalities from road collisions caused by driving are unacceptable, and this Government will work hard to prevent these tragedies for all road users. That is why on 7 January 2026, we published our new Road Safety Strategy, setting out our vision for a safer future on our roads for all. Following updates to the Highway Code in 2022, the department ran large-scale THINK! advertising campaigns to raise awareness of the changes. Via the THINK! campaign, we are also running year-round radio filler adverts encouraging compliance with the guidance to improve safety for those walking, cycling and horse riding. We will also continue to promote the changes via THINK! and Department for Transport social media channels, as well as through partner organisations. However, as set out in the strategy, more work is needed to continue embedding these changes and overall awareness of the Highway Code. We are considering options in this area, and further details will be shared in due course. As our road environment and technologies evolve, providing education for all road users throughout their lifetime is vital to improving road safety. As announced in the strategy to support a Lifelong Learning approach in the UK, the government will publish for the first time national guidance on the development and delivery of road safety education, training and publicity. Alongside this, the government will publish a manual to support the implementation of a Lifelong Learning approach for road safety.

What recent steps she has taken to close asylum hotels, particularly the Four Points Hotel in Horley.

This Government inherited a broken asylum system, with tens of thousands stuck in a backlog and claims not being processed, wasting millions in taxpayer money. We will empty asylum hotels as soon as possible, and by the end of this Parliament. That is a complex process that must be delivered through a controlled, managed and orderly plan of work.For the safety, security, and wellbeing of those we accommodate, we do not publicly comment on individual hotels which may or may not be utilised by the Home Office, nor do we provide details of those we accommodate at any site.

What are the restrictions on officer roles for late entry officers in the Army; and why those restrictions are in place.

Late Entry (LE) officers are eligible to apply for the same appointments as Direct Entry (DE) officers, and since 2023 all officers have been considered together for roles under a single, merit-based system. There are no formal restrictions preventing LE officers from being appointed to particular posts. However, in practice some roles require specific experience or career pathways that DE officers are more likely to have, while other posts-particularly those drawing heavily on soldiering experience-are better suited to LEs. Selection is always based on the needs of the Army and the knowledge, skills and experience required for each role. The Army is currently reviewing how to improve parity between LE and DE career structures, including how LE officers might access a broader range of roles and development opportunities, while ensuring operational effectiveness remains the priority.

What steps his Department is taking to help improve reciprocal visa-waiver arrangements with the EU.

HMG officials and Ministers, including myself, regularly engage the EU and EU Member State counterparts on a range of issues affecting UK nationals. The UK and the EU allow for visa-free, short-term travel in line with their respective arrangements for third country nationals. The UK allows EU citizens visa-free travel for up to six months; the EU allows for visa-free travel within the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period which is standard for third nationals travelling visa-free to the EU. UK nationals planning to stay longer will need permission from the relevant Member State. The UK Government will continue to listen to and advocate for UK nationals.

What alternative schemes she is considering that will address the capacity issues on the Brighton Main Line, namely around Reigate and the Selhurst Triangle, which would have been addressed by the Croydon Area Remodelling Scheme.

We are focused on prioritising the schemes that will make the greatest difference for passengers and support economic growth as quickly as possible. The previous government had committed to a number of projects that were unfunded, including the Croydon Area Remodelling scheme.

Pursuant to the Answer of 7 January 2026 to Question 104026 on 7 January 2026 on Channel Tunnel: Fares, what discussions she has had with the Office for Road and Rail on (a) consumer protection and (b) customer oversight.

The Office of Rail and Road is the independent economic and safety regulator for Britain's railways, including international rail services, and is also responsible for some consumer protection matters. The Minister of State for Rail recently met with the ORR’s Chair, Declan Collier, and the Board to discuss a range of matters within the ORR’s remit, including facilitating competition within the international rail passenger market given the consumer benefits this is expected to bring for passengers. DfT officials also engage regularly with ORR counterparts to discuss these matters.