Written questions by Stafford.

Whether she plans to expand financial education into the primary school curriculum.

I refer the hon. Member for Farnham and Bordon to the answer of 9 April 2025 to Question 43513.

Communities and Local Government, what steps he plans to take to adjust the council tax system to account for differing property market values in rural areas.

All councils are responsible for setting their own level of council tax to meet their specific service requirements. The government annually publishes data on the council tax levels set by different local authorities across the country. This is available here. The Government will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the system and consider options for reform where there is clear evidence that change would deliver better outcomes for residents and councils alike.

What recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of financial education since it became part of the secondary curriculum in 2014.

I refer the hon. Member for Farnham and Bordon to the answer of 9 April 2025 to Question 43513.

What steps she is taking to ensure that financial education is delivered consistently across all schools.

I refer the hon. Member for Farnham and Bordon to the answer of 9 April 2025 to Question 43513.

How the curriculum is adapted to keep pace with changes in financial products and technology, such as digital banking and online credit.

I refer the hon. Member for Farnham and Bordon to the answer of 9 April 2025 to Question 43513.

Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to publish updated comparative data on average council tax payments (a) per dwelling and (b) per capita across local authorities.

The Department publishes council tax per dwelling for each billing authority in England annually in March. We do not publish council tax per capita.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the level of variation in council tax per dwelling between rural and urban local authorities; and what steps he is considering taking to ensure that households in rural areas are not subject to higher tax burdens due to property valuation and banding distributions.

All councils are responsible for setting their own level of council tax to meet their specific service requirements. The government annually publishes data on the council tax levels set by different local authorities across the country. This is available here. The Government will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the system and consider options for reform where there is clear evidence that change would deliver better outcomes for residents and councils alike.

What training and resources are provided to teachers to enable effective delivery of financial education in schools.

I refer the hon. Member for Farnham and Bordon to the answer of 7 January 2025 to Question 21190.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential role of (a) German-style Fertighäuser and (b) other prefabricated or modular housing to help tackle housing shortage.

The government wants to see greater adoption of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) as part of our Plan for Change commitment to deliver 1.5 million safe and decent homes in this Parliament.MMC is key to boosting productivity in the construction sector – helping deliver homes faster, with improved energy performance, and creating new offsite jobs in the construction sector.We have already acted through our planning reforms to provide the certainty developers and manufacturers need to invest in MMC; provided an additional £700 million of support through the Home Building Fund to help manufacturers looking to grow and expand; and published the Publicly Available Specification (PAS-8700) for residential MMC.We will set out further details in the Long-Term Housing Strategy shortly.

If she will commission a review into the role of (a) Bitcoin and (b) other digital assets (i) as a reserve asset and (ii) in other future financial strategy.

As per responses from my predecessor, the Proceeds of Crime Act provides a clear process for the management and realisation of seized assets, while the UK's official reserves are governed by established investment principles. There are currently no plans to amend either framework or to commission a review into the potential role of Bitcoin and other digital assets as reserve assets or in a wider financial strategy.

Whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on managing seized cryptocurrency assets as long-term strategic holdings rather than liquidating them.

As per responses from my predecessor, the Proceeds of Crime Act provides a clear process for the management and realisation of seized assets, while the UK's official reserves are governed by established investment principles. There are currently no plans to amend either framework or to commission a review into the potential role of Bitcoin and other digital assets as reserve assets or in a wider financial strategy.

What discussions she has had with LINK on widening the criteria for establishing additional banking hubs.

While the Government engages with LINK on a range of issues, decisions regarding changes to LINK’s independent assessment criteria are a matter for LINK and the financial services sector. The Government understands the importance of face-to-face banking to communities and high streets across the UK, and is committed to championing sufficient access for all as a priority. This is why the Government is working closely with industry to roll out 350 banking hubs across the UK. The UK banking sector has committed to deliver these hubs by the end of this Parliament. Over 230 hubs have been announced so far, and over 180 are already open.

Communities and Local Government, whether he has had discussions with local authorities in (a) Surrey and (b) Hampshire on maintaining support for community transport operators following local government reorganisation.

Local support for community transport operators remains a matter for local authorities in Surrey and Hampshire, or any future local authorities that may be set up following local government reorganisation. Before a local government reorganisation proposal can be implemented, the Secretary of State must first consult any council affected that has not submitted the proposal, as well as any other persons considered appropriate. This includes local public service providers in the area. The consultation on local government reform in Surrey closed on 5 August. A decision will now be made on which proposal, if any, to implement. Hampshire is part of the Devolution Priority Programme and final proposals for local government reform in the county are due to submitted to the Government by 26 September.

Whether she plans to use recently closed independent schools as alternative accommodation for illegal immigrants.

No, there are no current plans. Home Office officials work in collaboration with other government departments on a future strategy for asylum accommodation, aiming to develop a better, long-term model of accommodation supply, which may be more locally led, should reduce competition for affordable housing, and help deliver new supply. Greater emphasis is being placed on engagement and collaboration with local authorities, and a variety of options are being tested. Value for money, community cohesion and the wellbeing of asylum seekers will continue to be at the forefront of decision making as officials continue to explore options and develop this strategy.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to prohibit cane corso dogs under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

The Government currently have no plans to add these breed types to Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. Owners of any breed of dog which is dangerously out of control are breaking the law. We will continue to encourage responsible dog ownership across all breeds of dog and to consider whether the current dog control rules are sufficient to ensure communities are protected.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of driver licensing for community transport operators; and if she will review access to (a) D1 and (b) Certificate of Professional Competence licences for (i) volunteer and (ii) community drivers.

The previous government published a Call for Evidence in 2022 on driver licensing. It sought views on whether changes to D1 licensing could be made in a positive way to help industry, including community transport operators, without detrimental impact on road safety. The results were published in 2023 and despite there being support for removing D1 driver licence testing to increase the pool of drivers, there was no evidence that road safety would not be compromised. There are circumstances when a driver may be able to drive a minibus with a category B (car) licence when stipulations are met and when driving under a Transport Act 1985 permit. Access to D1 licences requires additional testing for drivers who passed their car test after 1997. A Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) is not required for volunteer or community drivers unless driving professionally for hire or reward. However, CPC training and testing are available to those who wish to enhance their skills or pursue professional driving roles.

Communities and Local Government, what her planned timetable is for bringing into force the provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 that provide consumer protections for homeowners on freehold estates.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 74882 on 12 September 2025.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of charging infrastructure for community transport operators using electric minibuses in rural areas.

The government recognises the vital role community transport plays in connecting people to places, facilitating independence and providing access to essential services, employment, education and leisure. The Government is driving forward the expansion of public charging infrastructure so that everyone, no matter where they live or work, in urban or in rural areas, can confidently make the switch to an electric vehicle.As of 1st July 2025, there were 10,903 public EV charging devices in rural areas of England. The number of public charging devices in rural areas of England increased by 33% from July 2024 to July 2025.

What estimate she has made of the potential impact of (a) digitising and (b) centralising the firearms licensing process on police time.

The Government has no plans to introduce the centralisation of the firearms licensing process. The Firearms Act 1968 places statutory responsibility for firearms licensing on the Chief Officer of Police of each individual force in England, Wales and Scotland.This framework is supported by Statutory Guidance to Chief Officers of Police issued by the Home Secretary in respect of firearms licensing and by Authorised Professional Practice issued by the College of Policing.

What the conclusive findings were of the Government-funded psilocybin trial that concluded in February 2024.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Clinician Scientist Fellowship titled ‘A Feasibility RCT of Single-Dose Psilocybin in Unipolar Depressive Disorder Resistant to Standard Treatments’ is shown on the NIHR Funding and Awards website as concluding in February 2024. The progress of this award was significantly delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The results are therefore not yet available and are due to be released in 2026.The main aim of this award is to investigate the feasibility of conducting a trial in this patient group and to contribute towards the design of a more definitive study. The award has resulted in the creation of the Psychoactive Trials Group at King’s College London, which is one of the world’s most experienced clinical research teams in this emerging area of treatment.