Written questions by McMahon.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many fly-tipping incidents were reported and how many prosecutions were secured for each year from 2015 to date.

Local authorities in England are required to report fly-tipping incidents and enforcement action, such as prosecutions, to Defra, which the department have published annually since 2012, at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fly-tipping-in-england. This data isn't available at a constituency level and excludes the majority of private-land incidents.  Data for the 2024/25 reporting year is still being collected. Due to methodological changes, incident data for 2018/19 onwards is not comparable to earlier years.

What proportion of household income is spent on (a) Council tax, (b) Income tax, (c) National Insurance and (d) VAT by income decile.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 17th November is attached.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of tree planting and the provision of public open space for completed residential developments in England since 2015.

My Department has made no such assessment. The implementation of national planning policy is a matter for local planning authorities. The National Planning Policy Framework sets out clear policy regarding tree planting and the provision of public open space as part of new development. It outlines that planning policies should be based on robust and up-to-date assessments of the need for open space, sport and recreation facilities and opportunities for new provision, which plans should then seek to accommodate. In relation to tree planting, the Framework outlines that planning policies and decisions should ensure that new streets are tree-lined (unless, in specific cases, there are clear, justifiable and compelling reasons why this would be inappropriate), that opportunities are taken to incorporate trees elsewhere in developments (such as parks and community orchards), and that existing trees are retained wherever possible.

Communities and Local Government, how many Houses of Multiple Occupation there were in England in each year since 2010.

Estimates of the number of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in England in each year since 2000-01 can be found in my Department’s Local Authority Housing Statistics open data, which can be found on gov.uk here.The latest figures for 2023-24 show an estimated 472,823 HMOs in England.

What estimate he has made of the value of car parking income generated by NHS trusts in England; and how much was spent maintaining and operating car parks in those trusts in each year since 2015.

No estimate has been made of the car parking income generated by National Health Service trusts in England. The following table shows the income generated for car parking and car parking services costs for England from 2017/18 to 2023/24:YearCar parking services costTrust income from Car parking2023/24£77,232,171£242,832,3092022/23£73,103,126£192,526,7902021/22£71,364,527£102,303,0532020/21£65,538,670£53,149,1622019/20£70,037,633£289,326,6682018/19£71,170,922£271,777,9162017/18£28,936,526£226,357,822Source: the Estates Returns Information Collection, available at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/estates-returns-information-collection

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of Ofcom's enforcement of news channel impartiality.

Ofcom, by law, carries out its duties independently of the Government. Ofcom is required by legislation to enforce a Broadcasting Code for television and radio, to ensure that news, in whatever form, is reported with due accuracy and presented with due impartiality. The Government believes broadcasters should uphold the highest standards and ensure polemic is not presented as fact.

Which contracts valued over £25,000 for dispersed accommodation providers have been contracted by Serco in Greater Manchester.

The Home Office holds seven Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts across the UK. The Home Office has contracted Serco Ltd as the AASC Provider for the North West region, including Greater Manchester. Responsibility for the provision of all dispersal accommodation in Greater Manchester therefore lies Serco Ltd. This includes the management of all subcontractors.The Home Office does not hold contracts with other suppliers for the direct provision of dispersal accommodation and support services in Greater Manchester.Further information on the Home Office’s contract with Serco Ltd is available here: AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW - Contracts Finder

Pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2025 to Question 86689, what information his Department holds on the number of court cases that (a) did not progress and (b) were delayed due to the non-attendance of professional witnesses in 1). England and 2). Greater Manchester in the last 12 months.

An ineffective trial is a trial that does not go ahead on the scheduled trial date, and so a further listing is required. This can be due to action or inaction by one or more of the prosecution, the defence or the court. If a trial is deemed ineffective due to the witness being absent, this would indicate that the trial has been delayed.The Ministry of Justice publishes ineffective trials statistics by reason including trials that are rescheduled due to “prosecution witness absent – professional/expert” here: Criminal court statistics quarterly: April to June 2025 - GOV.UK. These statistics can be filtered by Local Criminal Justice Board to isolate figures for Greater Manchester. We do not have access to data on ineffective trials due to the absence of a defence professional witness.The Ministry of Justice cannot provide data on cases that “did not progress” due to the non-attendance of professional witnesses. This information would only be held in the individual court records for cases that are discontinued, and examination of these records would be of disproportionate cost.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many criminal cases were not prosecuted because the offender had diplomatic immunity broken down by nationality from 2015.

I refer the Hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS1075) made on 19 November 2025 which sets out the serious and significant offences allegedly committed by those with immunity in the UK. We do not share details of individual cases.

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2025 to Question 87814, what proportion of mileage claims are made using a). HMRC Approved Mileage Allowance Payment rates and b). employers own assessment by 1). employees and 2). the self-employed.

The rate at which employees are reimbursed for undertaking business mileage in their personal vehicles is a matter between employers and their employees. As such these are exempt from reporting to HMRC, and the Government does not routinely collect the information requested. HMRC recently published research on benefits-in-kind and expenses. Of those employers surveyed, 41% of employers reimbursed mileage for employees using their own car for business travel, of which 37% reimbursed at the Approved Mileage Payment Rate and 4% at another rate. The research report can be found here: Research with employers on Benefits in Kind and expenses - GOV.UK Self-employed people are able to choose whether to use the simplified mileage rates or claim actual expenses and capital allowances for a vehicle. HMRC published research carried out in 2023 which showed that 29% of self-employed people who use vehicles in their business use the simplified mileage rates. The research report was published on 28 May 2025 and can be found here: HMRC Mileage Rates Research - GOV.UK

What proportion of NHS England staff will be employed by successor organisations and other government bodies.

Subject to the passage of the NHS Reform Bill, NHS England will be abolished and most of its functions brought together in a new centre. Our ambition is to reduce staff numbers by up to 50% across the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), NHS England and integrated care boards, which will be largely accomplished through voluntary exits. These reductions will be made by March 2028. The NHS voluntary exit scheme includes clawback arrangements that would compel employees who leave under voluntary redundancy to repay all/some of their voluntary redundancy payment if they are re-employed in the National Health Service, other Government departments or arm's length bodies within six to 12 months of their exit, depending on seniority, size of package and length of time between exit and re-employment.In general, DHSC is the successor body to NHS England, which means most of NHS England’s functions and staff will be transferred to DHSC. However, some functions could also be transferred elsewhere in the system where there is a strong rationale for doing so. Voluntary exit schemes have been launched to enable us to reduce headcount and meet our targets for a leaner and more efficient center.We are assessing the full range of current functions across both organisations together with initial appraisal of options for future allocation of functions. At this stage, it is too early to determine what the precise changes in personnel and organisational design will be, but this work is taking place at pace between the two organisations.As we progress with returning functions to DHSC, due process will of course be followed, including a comprehensive assessment of any impacts and risks associated with the reforms. We will ensure our decisions are guided by evidence, and above all, focused on improving patient care.

How many further education courses for 16-18 year olds were not completed in the last five years; and what the estimated cost was of providing those placements in England.

Education and training achievement rates are available in the ‘Further education and skills’ statistics publication, which is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/further-education-and-skills/2024-25#content-9.The department does not hold data on the estimated cost of providing those placements in England.Funding for students who withdraw from their studies during the academic year is reduced through the retention factor in the 16 to 19 funding formula. This has the effect of funding withdrawn students at 50% of their funding band’s rate. This recognises that there is a cost to institutions in delivering programmes to students who do not complete.

What proportion of dispersed accommodation procured by her Department in (a) Greater Manchester and (b) Oldham is in Selective Landlord Licensing areas.

The Home Office holds seven Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts across the UK. The Home Office has contracted Serco Ltd as the AASC Provider for the North West region, including Greater Manchester. Responsibility for the provision of all dispersal accommodation in Greater Manchester therefore lies Serco Ltd. This includes the management of all subcontractors.The Home Office does not hold contracts with other suppliers for the direct provision of dispersal accommodation and support services in Greater Manchester.Further information on the Home Office’s contract with Serco Ltd is available here: AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW - Contracts Finder.

What estimate her Department has made of waiting times by test centre in England for learner drivers undertaking a (a) Theory test and (b) Practical driving test.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) have a key performance indicator (KPI) requiring that theory test candidates will wait on average no more than 28 calendar days from booking to their appointment. Despite unprecedented levels of high demand for theory tests, this KPI is consistently met. The average waiting time for a car practical driving test in October 2025 in England was 22.4 weeks. The attached Excel spreadsheet shows the average waiting time in weeks at driving test centres (DTC) in England, as of October 2025. Please note that this spreadsheet also includes DTCs, such as part-time test centres, which do not count towards the official waiting time measure mentioned above. Also please note that DTCs included in the official measure can change, for example for temporary or permanent closures, or other operational reasons.

How many (a) male and (b) female prison staff were found to have had (i) inappropriate personal and (ii) criminal relationships with prisoners in each year since 2015.

The overwhelming majority of prison staff are hardworking and honest; we are determined to root out any who are not.Information in relation to numbers of investigations and conduct and discipline cases can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hm-prison-probation-service-staff-equalities-report-2023-2024/hm-prison-and-probation-service-annual-staff-equalities-report-2023-to-2024#investigations-and-conduct--discipline-cases.As investigations and conduct and discipline cases may involve multiple charges, and multiple outcomes in relation the different parts of the case, it would not be possible to obtain the information requested in relation to outcomes without incurring disproportionate cost.His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) has been working on raising professional standards, with the aim of giving staff greater confidence to report evidence of wrongdoing, and this may have had an impact on case numbers.HMPPS’s Counter-Corruption Unit detects, disrupts and deters activities of those suspected of wrongdoing. It provides support to prisons and the Probation Service, with specialist staff working with the police to support investigations.

What is the (a) cost and (b) number of HMRC staff undertaking inquiries into online marketplace sellers.

The department is unable to provide an exact breakdown in the cost or number of staff involved in this work. This is because HMRC takes a risk-based approach to compliance, and so tax enquiries into online marketplace sellers can fall into a number of different compliance areas. Staff involved will work across a variety of business types and in most cases will not be solely working on this one trade sector.

How many online marketplace sellers have been required to pay a tax liability following a HMRC tax inquiry, and what was the average amount owed.

HMRC does not segment it's data by trade sector, so is not able to accurately identify the number of businesses in any one sector which have been subject to a HMRC Tax Enquiry.

What assessment her Department has made of the affordability of motor insurance in areas of higher deprivation.

The Government is committed to tackle the high costs of motor insurance. The cross-Government motor insurance taskforce, launched in October 2024, is comprised of ministers from relevant government departments and the Financial Conduct Authority and Competition and Markets Authority. The taskforce is supported by a separate stakeholder panel of industry experts representing the insurance, motor, and consumer sector. This taskforce has a strategic remit to set the direction for UK Government policy, identifying short- and long-term actions for departments that may contribute to stabilising or reducing premiums.The taskforce’s final report is expected to be published shortly.

How many enforcement test purchases have taken place for underage knife sales in England (a) in person at premises and (b) online in each year since 2015.

The Home Office does not hold data by year since 2015 of the number of test purchases online and at premises by trading standards undertaken for underage knife sales.

How many companies registered with Companies House were a). trading b). dormant and c). pending strike off action for each year from 2015 to date.

The following table shows the total size of the Register of Companies and the trading status of companies in the specified periods:Financial YearTotal register at end of periodTrading StatusTradingDormant2015-163,678,8603,191,442487,4182016-173,896,7553,398,018498,7372017-184,033,3553,528,417504,9382018-194,202,0443,681,450520,5942019-204,350,9133,811,504539,4092020-214,716,1264,159,227556,8992021-224,894,3564,294,680599,6762022-235,116,7434,474,920641,8232023-245,350,7594,697,033653,7262024-255,427,7874,757,947669,840The following table shows the status of entities on the register at the start and end of the reporting period:Financial YearTotal register at end of periodEffective register at end of periodIn course of dissolutionIn liquidation2015-163,678,8603,433,780160,41984,6612016-173,896,7553,648,478159,80288,4752017-184,033,3553,770,022172,45590,8782018-194,202,0443,926,374185,06590,6052019-204,350,9134,064,063194,04992,8012020-214,716,1264,410,236210,73295,1582021-224,894,3564,499,342293,784101,2302022-235,116,7434,645,402364,998106,3432023-245,350,7594,876,374365,033109,3522024-255,427,7874,872,293443,076112,418Figures in both tables are extracted from management information. They are unaudited and subject to change.Due to timing differences, discrepancies can occur between the register status statistics and the trading status statistics. Consequently, the trading status statistics have been adjusted proportionally to align with the Official Statistics publication.A review of the statistics regularly published is ongoing.