Written questions by Mierlo.

What assessment the Department has made of the adequacy of the time taken to process applications to purchase voluntary National Insurance contributions through the International Pensions Centre before the April 2025 deadline.

Telephony demand from individuals seeking to pay Voluntary National Insurance Contributions (VNICs) ahead of the 6th April 2025 deadline was significant. In response, DWP provided routes for individuals to register their interest in paying VNICs. DWP introduced an online call-back form, a route for citizens to register their interest over the telephone and where possible, individuals were sent confirmation text messages. Where individuals registered an interest to pay VNICs on or before the April 2025 deadline, the Department is honouring pre-deadline rates for all, even if the payment of VNICs is made after the deadline. Customers who are over State Pension age and who paid VNICs, will receive an increase to their State Pension. For individuals living overseas (who are already over State Pension age), all DWP call-back requests were completed before the end of December 2025. Customers who are over State Pension age and who paid VNICs based on pre-deadline rates, will receive an increase to their State Pension. The pre-deadline contribution rates required to purchase the relevant qualifying years will be honoured.

What steps he is taking to introduce new earner income disregards for housing benefit claimants in supported housing.

The Department will be introducing new earned income disregards for Housing Benefit claimants in Supported Housing and Temporary Accommodation from Autumn 2026. Further information will be available in the regulations pack and Explanatory Memorandum when the new regulations are laid later this year. We continue to work collaboratively with stakeholders to ensure that the implementation is robust and we reduce the financial cliff edge for individuals in supported housing and temporary accommodation.

What assessment he has made of (a) trends in the level of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation and (b) the potential impact of those lawsuits on public-interest advocacy and journalism.

Due to the covert nature of Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) cases, with many threats occurring before cases reach the courts, it is difficult to know precise figures. On the available qualitative evidence we recognise that such tactics continue to be used to intimidate and silence journalists and others acting in the public interest. By curtailing free speech, SLAPPs cause a chilling effect on public interest journalism and pose a threat to both our legal system and our democracy. We are considering all options for reform to address this issue.

What steps the Department is taking to ensure that individuals who applied to purchase voluntary National Insurance contributions through the International Pensions Centre before the April 2025 deadline and experienced delays in their processing are not disadvantaged.

Telephony demand from individuals seeking to pay Voluntary National Insurance Contributions (VNICs) ahead of the 6th April 2025 deadline was significant. In response, DWP provided routes for individuals to register their interest in paying VNICs. DWP introduced an online call-back form, a route for citizens to register their interest over the telephone and where possible, individuals were sent confirmation text messages. Where individuals registered an interest to pay VNICs on or before the April 2025 deadline, the Department is honouring pre-deadline rates for all, even if the payment of VNICs is made after the deadline. Customers who are over State Pension age and who paid VNICs, will receive an increase to their State Pension. For individuals living overseas (who are already over State Pension age), all DWP call-back requests were completed before the end of December 2025. Customers who are over State Pension age and who paid VNICs based on pre-deadline rates, will receive an increase to their State Pension. The pre-deadline contribution rates required to purchase the relevant qualifying years will be honoured.

What plans he has to review the level of the Household Benefit Cap.

There is a statutory obligation to review the levels at least once every five years. They were last reviewed in November 2022 and, as such, a further review is not required until November 2027. This will happen at the appropriate time as determined by the Secretary of State.

If his Department will publish further information on the four new earned income disregards for housing benefit claimants in supported housing.

The Department will be introducing new earned income disregards for Housing Benefit claimants in Supported Housing and Temporary Accommodation from Autumn 2026. Further information will be available in the regulations pack and Explanatory Memorandum when the new regulations are laid later this year. We continue to work collaboratively with stakeholders to ensure that the implementation is robust and we reduce the financial cliff edge for individuals in supported housing and temporary accommodation.

Whether her Department plans to provide additional (a) guidance and (b) professional development for primary teachers on incorporating learning through play into classroom.

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework sets the standards and requirements that all early years settings must follow to ensure every child has the best start in life and is clear that play is essential for children’s development.The department is committed to supporting settings to deliver the EYFS for the benefit of all children and provides a range of resources, including written and online guidance on curriculum and pedagogy, to assist early years teachers.The department provides free guidance and training in delivering developmentally appropriate, play based learning. Our early years child development training, developed with sector experts, offers practical advice and materials for those working with Reception-aged children, including content about how play supports early learning and development.It reflects an emphasis on active, exploratory, play based learning as the foundation for children’s cognitive, language, social and emotional development.Finally, we have committed in our strategy for improving child development to a new training course for classroom teachers in reception and enhancing the National Professional Qualification for Headship with more content on effective Reception practice.

If he will make an assessment of effectiveness of Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnerships (MNVP), including Oxfordshire MNVP in representing the experience of mothers and families.

Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnerships (MNVPs) ensure that the voices of service users are central to decision-making within maternity and neonatal services. An MNVP listens to the experiences of women and families, and brings together service users, staff, and other stakeholders to plan, review, and improve maternity and neonatal care. The ambitions and objectives for MNVPs are outlined in the Three-year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services, which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/three-year-delivery-plan-for-maternity-and-neonatal-services/Integrated care board (ICBs) have a responsibility to ensure that MNVPs are delivering on the commitments set out in NHS England’s national guidance, which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/maternity-and-neonatal-voices-partnership-guidance/A memorandum of understanding is in place for the Oxfordshire MNVP to oversee an agreed workplan, which is supported by the financial investment made by the ICB.The ICB has appropriate governance mechanisms in place to ensure oversight of Oxfordshire MNVP activities.

What discussions has he had to help conclude the dialogue between NHS England and the manufacturer of givinostat as part of the NICE appraisal.

The Department has had no such discussions. NHS England is responsible for any commercial discussions with companies whose products are undergoing a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence evaluation.Following discussions in November 2025, NHS England invited the manufacturer, ITF Pharma UK and Ireland, to submit a written proposal to progress a potential commercial agreement in December, with a range of ideas being offered by NHS England that could form the basis of a deal.NHS England is still awaiting a proposal from the company and has continued to press ITF Pharma on the need to make progress as patients and campaigners deserve certainty on the next steps regarding access to this treatment.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2026 to Question 103084, if she will publish policy proposals to implement the practice of collection of data of non-injury road traffic accidents in order to make an assessment of the risk at rural junctions.

There are currently no plans to collect non-injury collision data from road traffic collisions to make an assessment of risk at rural junctions.As announced in the recently published Road Safety Strategy, the department is exploring the possibility of breaking down rural roads into several subcategories to better define their purpose. This segmentation will help target safety interventions more effectively, ensuring resources are spent where they can have the greatest impact. We have also announced the establishment of a data-led Road Safety Investigation Branch, which will investigate collisions on a thematic basis.

Communities and Local Government, what mechanisms he plans to put in place to safeguard community sports provision if the current statutory consultation arrangements be changed.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 103087 on 13 January 2026.

What assessment she has made of the role of play‑based pedagogy in levels of attainment and supporting pupil wellbeing across the primary curriculum.

The ‘Early years foundation stage’ statutory framework is clear that play is essential for children’s development, health and wellbeing. Play builds confidence and enthusiasm for learning, helps children to learn to set goals and solve problems, and develop key self-awareness, self-regulation and social skills. The Curriculum and Assessment Review considered whether the curriculum met the needs of pupils. No assessment has been made of the role of play-based pedagogy in levels of attainment and supporting pupil wellbeing across the primary curriculum. The national curriculum provides a broad framework which gives schools flexibility to organise the content and delivery of the curriculum to meet the needs of their pupils. The department is working to make sure that all children and young people have access to a variety of enrichment opportunities at school, as an important part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity. For some schools, these opportunities may be used to encourage play. We recognise the value of these experiences in supporting children’s wellbeing and development, helping to build their confidence and communication skills. A new Enrichment Framework will be published in the coming months. The framework will support schools in developing their enrichment offer by identifying and reflecting effective practice, and will provide advice on how to plan a high quality enrichment offer more intentionally and strategically.

What steps her Department is taking to support the implementation of high quality continuous provision in Key Stage 1 to ensure effective progression from the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Schools must decide how to best support children’s transitions from the early years foundation stages (EYFS) phase into key stage 1. Some schools continue elements of the pedagogical approach of the EYFS into Year 1 to enable a gradual transition. The EYFS Profile Assessment at the end of reception helps guide teachers in deciding how to meet the needs of each cohort and child.The government’s response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review set out how we will be reforming the curriculum and assessment system, which will include changes at key stage 1.

Food and Rural Affairs, what her proposed timeline is to enact Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.

The Government is strongly committed to improving the implementation of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS). In December 2024 we made changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to support increased delivery of SuDS. The NPPF now requires all development to use SuDS where they could have drainage impacts. We are in the process of consulting on a revised version of the NPPF, with new policies on local plans and national decision making, including flood risk and SuDS.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to higher education funding on creative arts courses, and the potential consequences for the creative industries.

The government is committed to supporting creative arts subjects in higher education and acknowledges the importance of this provision to the creative industries. These subjects will benefit from further increases in tuition fee limits in line with forecast inflation that we have announced for the 2026/27 and 2027/28 academic years. For this academic year, we have maintained the funding at £57 million for the 20 small and specialist providers previously identified by the Office for Students as world leading. Of these providers, 13 are focused on creative arts. These 20 providers will retain their world leading status for 2026/27. Decisions around funding through the Strategic Priorities Grant for 2026/27 have not yet been made. We will prioritise subjects that are essential to delivery of our Plan for Growth, and the Industrial Strategy, and we will issue guidance to the OfS setting out our funding priorities for 2026/27 in due course.

What assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of current statutory consultation requirements for introducing parking restrictions on main roads, and whether she plans to review these requirements.

No such assessment has been made. We have not identified a need for change but will continue to monitor their impact as part of wider traffic management reviews.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of legal sale mileage blockers on the proposed pence-per-mile charge of 3p per mile in addition to the standard Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) starting in April 2028.

As announced at Budget 2025, the Government is introducing Electric Vehicle Excise Duty (eVED) from April 2028, a new mileage charge for electric and plug-in hybrid cars, recognising that electric vehicles (EVs) contribute to congestion and wear and tear on the roads but pay no equivalent to fuel duty. The Government is considering options to mitigate against odometer tampering, including whether any legislative, regulatory or technical changes are necessary to strengthen compliance and enforcement. The Government intends to engage with manufacturers, the leasing industry and insurers to minimise fraud. The eVED consultation provides further detail on how eVED will work and seeks views on its implementation, including the approach to compliance. The consultation is available at GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-the-introduction-of-electric-vehicle-excise-duty-eved.

What support for training and resources his Department is providing to integrated care boards to help implement the NHS England Maternal Care Bundle, published on 6 January 2026.

Maternity care remains a top priority for NHS Providers, as demonstrated in the planning guidance.Maternity services in England are commissioned by integrated care boards (ICBs), and maternity funding, which formed part of the System Development Funding in 2024/25, has been transferred to ICB core allocations for 2025/26. This is to allow local leaders more flexibility to serve the needs of their population.The Maternity Care Bundle codifies best practice standards and therefore the implementation of the Maternity Care Bundle will be absorbed through ICB core allocations.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed international student levy on the financial sustainability of UK universities; and what estimate her Department has made of the number of universities at risk of closure as a result of the combined effect of frozen tuition fees, inflationary pressures, and the proposed levy on international students.

Higher education (HE) providers are independent from government and as such are responsible for managing their own finances. Tuition fees are not frozen - the department has announced increases to tuition fee limits in line with forecast inflation for 2025/26, 2026/27, and 2027/28. We will also legislate, when parliamentary time allows, to increase tuition fee caps automatically for future academic years.Over the next five years, tuition fee limit uplifts could generate an additional £6 billion for HE providers, significantly outweighing the currently projected less than £1 billion cost of the International Student Levy. This approach ensures the sector benefits from compounding annual increases, delivering growing resources to support quality education and innovation.The Office for Students (OfS) is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the financial sustainability of registered HE providers. The department will continue to work closely with the OfS to understand the financial implications of policy changes on HE providers.

If she will make an assessment of the adequacy of data on non‑injury road traffic accidents at rural junctions.

The Department for Transport does not collect data on non-injury road traffic accidents at rural junctions so is unable to make an assessment.