Written questions by Campbell.

What plans are there to ensure, under the ten-year zero emission bus order pipeline, that UK based manufacturers are best placed to produce the new vehicles.

The Government has supported the UK bus manufacturing industry through the UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel, which ran from March 2025 to March 2026. Long-term funding for local transport authorities, including through the £15.6 billion Transport for City Regions funding, will enable LTAs to purchase zero emission buses (ZEBs) for their areas and support wider investment. The zero emission bus order pipeline was published in March 2026 and provides greater planning certainty to the sector as they develop future decarbonisation strategies. At the final meeting of the Expert Panel, Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) agreed to a minimum 10% social value weighting in future bus procurements. This will help to enable UK-based manufacturers to plan and invest with confidence, taking full advantage of the opportunities ahead.

Approximately how many non - direct altruistic organ donations have there been in each of the last ten years.

Non‑direct altruistic organ donation is managed by NHS Blood and Transplant, which is responsible for organ donation services. Non‑direct altruistic donation involves people donating an organ, such as a kidney or a lobe of liver, as a living donor without knowing the recipient or expecting anything in return. The following table shows the number of non-direct altruistic donations across the United Kingdom, split by organ, namely kidney or liver:Financial yearNon-direct altruistic kidney donations2016/17862017/18892018/19642019/20962020/21342021/22722022/23832023/24482024/25622025/2658Source: NHS Blood and Transplant, using data from the UK Transplant Registry.For every financial year since 2016/17, there has been five or less non-direct altruistic liver lobe donations. There has been a total of 14 non-direct altruistic liver lobe donations in the past ten years.

If she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the circumstances whereby senior citizens receive the Winter Fuel Allowance then are ineligible for the payment due to their level of income.

The Government announced in June 2025 that the Winter Fuel Payment eligibility will benefit a wider range of pensioners in England and Wales from winter 2025. Winter Fuel Payments are paid automatically to anyone who has not opted out of getting a payment, to ensure timely support for those who need it.Individuals who are of State Pension age and have total income over £35,000 will have their Winter Fuel Payment recovered by HMRC through the tax system. Winter Fuel Payments are devolved in Scotland and Northern Ireland, however, the Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive have decided to mirror the recovery approach taken for England and Wales. The winter payment is automatically recovered by HMRC through PAYE for the vast majority of cases, or through their Self-Assessment return for the minority that pay tax that way. The amount recovered is equal to the full value of their payment. This approach applies across the UK, including in Northern Ireland.Anyone who expects their total income to exceed £35,000 can opt out of receiving future payments via GOV.UK, or through Social Security Scotland if they live in Scotland, and will not be subject to the charge. Opting out applies only to payments not yet made.

When does he expect to be able to reply to WPQ 115339 tabled on 24th February 2026.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 22 April 2026 to Question 115339.

What steps she is taking to help reduce levels of student debt.

The government is capping the maximum interest rates on Plan 2 and 3 student loans at 6%, rather than RPI+3%, from 1 September, for the 2026/27 academic year, delivering stability and protection for graduates from escalating student loan interest. This short-term measure removes the risk of a temporary increase in inflation due to the situation in the Middle East causing loan balances to compound at an unsustainable rate and is in line with actions taken in the past to secure stability in the student finance system. Secondly, the government is reintroducing targeted, means-tested maintenance grants from academic year 2028/29, which will provide disadvantaged students with up to £1,000 extra support per year, without increasing their debt. Student finance and higher education funding is a complex, interconnected, system. We are considering a range of options to make the system fairer, but to be fiscally responsible we must consider how any change would be funded.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 April 2026 to Question 126551, what steps she is taking to ensure that the merits of the HMRC approved software to the user are maintained for the remainder of this Parliament.

The Government has ensured a wide range of MTD-compatible software is available to support businesses of all budgets and sizes, and will continue to work closely with the software industry to ensure that Making Tax Digital (MTD) software meets the needs of taxpayers. Software providers must meet a clear set of criteria and Terms of Use for their products to be recognised as MTD-compatible. These include requirements on security, data protection and accessibility, as well as the ability to support core user journeys and portability of data. A taxpayer is not locked into a single MTD-compatible software product and can change provider at any time. As their business needs evolve over time, taxpayers may find alternative software becomes the most appropriate option for their circumstances. HMRC has published guidance to support taxpayers in finding the right software here: www.gov.uk/guidance/find-software-that-works-with-making-tax-digital-for-income-tax

Who will have lead responsibility in co ordination and organising the four Nation Steering Group in examining the role of the Multi Speciality Recruitment Assessment process.

In Autumn 2025, the Postgraduate National Recruitment Programme Board stood up a project to identify future delivery solutions for the selection assessments used across all recruitment pathways, including the Multi Specialty Recruitment Assessment. The project is overseen by a four-nation selection assessment steering group that will shape and make recommendations to the programme board.The programme board has overall accountability for recruitment and selection processes into postgraduate medical, dental, foundation pharmacy, and healthcare science training programmes in the United Kingdom. The board is convened by NHS England, includes representatives from each of the four UK statutory education bodies, and is accountable to the executives of each of these bodies.

If she will investigate trends in the number of applications for asylum from people from (a) Pakistan and (b) Bangladesh who are falsely claiming to be gay and in fear for their lives if returned to their home country.

Where we encounter abuse of the asylum system, we take action. Protection status will be revoked where evidence emerges that it was obtained by deception.All asylum and human rights claims, including those raised by Pakistan and Bangladesh nationals on grounds of sexuality or gender identity are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations. Our guidance for considering asylum claims is available on GOV.UK at: Assessing credibility and refugee status: caseworker guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)A decision maker will not accept that someone is gay simply because they claim to be so. Such declarations constitute the starting point in the consideration process and are subject to probing at interview and a proper assessment of the facts and circumstances.Each individual assessment is made against the background of relevant case law and the latest available country of origin information. Our assessment of the situation of a given group in a given country is set out in the relevant country policy and information note, which is available on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/country-policy-and-information-notes.

When she expects the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe to publish a timeline for measures to be implemented by car manufacturers to help reduce the occurrence of headlamp glare.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) glare prevention taskforce is currently drafting recommendations for submission to the international lighting expert group in October this year. Implementation, including associated timelines, will depend on progress made in future negotiations with the wide range of UNECE countries that have agreed to be bound by these vehicle construction regulations.

Pursuant to WPQ 118152, on how many occasions were Border Force personnel involved in dealing with the more than five hundred sanctioned shadow fleet vessels.

Border Force is a law enforcement command within the Home Office. We secure the UK border by carrying out immigration and customs controls for people and goods entering the UK.Maritime teams in the Home Office maintain a permanent presence around the UK as part of its maritime border security. This involves the deployment of Cutters, Coastal Patrol Vessels and other maritime assets.The vessels are regularly out on proactive patrol, but we do not comment on specific operational deployments or operations.

What discussions have been held with the Government of the Irish Republic on what increases in co-operation are required to deal with the numbers of Russian shadow fleet vessels operating in British and Irish territorial waters.

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. Earlier this year the Secretary of State for Defence and the Irish Minister for Defence signed the refreshed UK-Ireland Memorandum of Understanding. Under this Memorandum of Understanding, the UK Armed Forces and the Irish Defence Forces will strengthen their maritime security cooperation to develop improved response mechanisms to maritime security incidents in British and Irish territorial waters.

How many instances of breaches of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme have resulted in prosecutions.

The FIRS scheme went live on 01 July last year. We will be publishing an annual report setting out, among other things, the number of registrations, the number of information notices issued, the number of persons charged with an offence and the number of persons convicted of an offence. The first report will be published as soon as practicable after 30 June 2026.Providing information outside of that publication schedule about any live cases or prosecutions risks revealing information not intended to be made public and undermining any enforcement action.

Pursuant to WPQ 109064 dated 2 February 2026, when does he expect to be able to reply.

I responded to the hon. Member on 20 April 2026.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of new artificial intelligence models on the risk of financial market manipulation.

The Government’s ambition is to make the UK a global leader in AI. Encouraging safe adoption is an essential part of realising that ambition. We will continue to work closely with regulators and industry to ensure innovation proceeds safely and responsibly and that any risks to financial markets are identified and mitigated. In particular, the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC) is responsible for identifying, monitoring and taking action to remove or reduce systemic risks to the UK financial system. The FPC’s April 2025 Financial Stability in Focus publication set out potential risks to financial stability that could result from increasing AI use, including in relation to market manipulation, and their response to these.

If she will ensure that HMRC approved software required for sole traders to make returns under the Making Tax Digital framework remains at no cost to the user for the remainder of this Parliament.

The government has worked closely with the software industry to ensure the availability of a broad range of MTD-compatible products to suit different needs and budgets. This includes free products supporting those with the simplest affairs, low-cost bridging software for those who prefer to continue using spreadsheets and more sophisticated products that integrate with other business software. Currently, there are more than 15 free products (excluding free trials) covering a range of different scenarios including bookkeeping, quarterly updates and end-of-year submissions.

How many Credit Union Movement representative groups in Northern Ireland responded to the call for evidence on Credit Union Common Bond Reform proposals.

On 18 March, the government announced plans to reform the credit union common bond in Great Britain. Full details of the government’s plans have been published in a call for evidence response available on GOV.UK.The call for evidence only sought views on the common bond for credit unions in England, Wales, and Scotland. This is because responsibility for credit unions in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter for the Northern Ireland Executive. The Northern Ireland Executive launched its own consultation in 2025 to gather views on proposed reforms to modernise and strengthen the credit union sector in Northern Ireland.The government is a strong supporter of the mutual sector, including credit unions, and is working to support its growth in line with the manifesto commitment to double the size of the co‑operative and mutual sector. In line with devolution arrangements, this includes legislating for reforms in Great Britain while continuing to engage with the Northern Ireland Executive on credit union policy in Northern Ireland.

If she will amend the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 to ensure that in instances where serious injury or death results from the distribution of illegal substances, the distribution itself is made an offence directly linked to the injury or death.

The Government has no plans to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (“the 1971 Act”) in this way. The maximum sentences for unlawful supply of controlled drugs under the 1971 Act are life imprisonment, a fine or both for Class A drugs, and 14 years’ imprisonment, a fine or both for Class B and C drugs. The classification of drugs under the 1971 Act is broadly based on harm, so longer sentences are available for those drugs considered the most harmful.When considering the appropriate sentence for a person who has been convicted for supply offences under the 1971 Act, in addition to any statutory aggravating factors, judges may consider a range of factors. In England and Wales these are set out in sentencing guidelines issued by the Sentencing Council. These can be found at this link:https://sentencingcouncil.org.uk/guidelines/supplying-or-offering-to-supply-a-controlled-drug-possession-of-a-controlled-drug-with-intent-to-supply-it-to-another/Factors increasing the seriousness of an offence, which may result in a longer sentence, include exposing a drug user to the risk of serious harm over and above that expected by the user, exposing those involved in drug dealing to the risk of serious harm and exposing third parties to the risk of serious harm. These factors are not exhaustive and judges may consider other factors, including those raised in victim personal statements.In Northern Ireland judges rely on caselaw when considering sentencing in the Crown Court. Relevant caselaw can be found here: https://www.judiciaryni.uk/judiciary-decision-types/type/drug-offences-39.

When does he expect to be able to reply to WPQ 117245 tabled on 3rd March 2026.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 March 2026 to Question 117245.

When does he expect the next phase of the review of the UK Foundation programme to be concluded.

The first phase of The Medical Training Review has concluded. Phase 1 identified key challenges and areas for improvement across postgraduate medical training, including for foundation training, alongside what currently works well. The Phase 1 diagnostic report can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/the-medical-training-review-phase-1-diagnostic-report/Phase 2, which is already underway, will involve working with a wide range of stakeholders across the system to design a package of reform.NHS England is also conducting a review of the Preference Informed Allocation (PIA) method, which was introduced in 2024 as the process for allocating applicants to the UK Foundation Programme to foundation schools. Timelines for Phase 2 of the postgraduate medical training review and the PIA review will be confirmed in due course.

What assessment has been made of the potential benefits derived to Northern Ireland people and businesses from the Belfast Office operational since December 2024.

HM Treasury has not made a standalone assessment of the benefits of the HMRC Belfast office, but having an operational presence in Belfast supports access to HMRC services, engagement with local businesses and stakeholders, and the effective administration of the tax system in Northern Ireland.