Written questions by Simons.

What steps he is taking to reduce firework misuse in Makerfield constituency.

Enforcement powers exist for local authorities to take action when fireworks are unsafe, sold illegally or misused. Local authorities and the police also have powers to tackle anti-social behaviour caused by the misuse of fireworks. It is for local areas to decide how best to deploy these powers, based on their specific circumstances. To inform any future decisions on the regulation of fireworks I intend to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on the issues with and impacts of fireworks.

How much has been spent on the statutory element of Shared Parental Leave since its inception (a) in total and (b) by (i) geographical area and (ii) industry.

Information provided by employers to HMRC shows that the total value of payments made to individuals in receipt of Statutory Shared Parental Pay was £178.9m between 2014/15 and 2023/24 (the latest year for which full year data is available). The table below presents a breakdown of the value of payments made to individuals by the region (based on recipient residence). Information on the sector or industry worked in by the recipient of Shared Parental Pay is not available. Table 1: Total value of payments made to individuals in receipt of Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) by claimant resident region, 2014/15 to 2023/24 Government Office Region (based on residence of recipient of ShPP)Total value of Statutory Shared Parental Pay paymentsEast Midlands£10,300,000East of England£16,200,000London£40,800,000North East£4,800,000North West£15,300,000South East£27,500,000South West£18,000,000West Midlands£10,400,000Yorkshire and The Humber£12,200,000Northern Ireland£2,900,000Scotland£9,900,000Wales£5,900,000Other£4,600,000 NotesData collected using HMRC Real Time Information (RTI). RTI is subject to revision or updatesShared Parental Leave and Pay came into force on 1 December 2014 for eligible parents of children due to be born or adopted on or after 5 April 2015.In the 2014/15 and 2015/16 tax year, those receiving Additional Statutory Paternity Pay (ASPP) for children born before 6 April 2015 cannot be distinguished from those claiming ShPP within RTI data. The value of ShPP payments in 2014/15 was less than £2.5m only.