Written questions by Evans.

How many fixed penalty notices for careless driving have been issued by police forces in (a) England and (b) Leicestershire since 2013.

The Home Office collects and publishes data on fixed penalty notices (FPNs) and other outcomes for motoring offences as part of the annual "Police Powers and Procedures: Roads Policing” statistics. The latest publication can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-roads-policing-to-december-2023Table FPN_03 of the data tables available at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67506ce8d12a2dad3bc97ab4/FPN-other-motoring-offences-statistics-police-powers-procedures-year-ending-dec-23.ods contains information on the number of FPNs (and other outcomes) for motoring offences, recorded by police forces in England and Wales, broken down by offence type, during each calendar year between 2011 and 2023.Middle lane misuse is treated under the general offence of careless driving (classified in these statistics under offence class 804a). Home Office statistics do not record middle lane misuse as a distinct category, and it cannot be separated from other forms of careless driving.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing information about methods of slaughter on food labelling.

The Government encourages the highest standards of animal welfare at slaughter. As set out in the Government’s animal welfare strategy, we are committed to ensuring that consumers have access to clear information on how their food was produced. To support this, we will continue working with relevant stakeholders to explore how better food labelling could provide greater consumer transparency and promote better animal welfare.

Whether she has made a recent estimate of the number of private schools which have increased fees due to the introduction of VAT.

Private school fees and finances are a matter for private schools, as private businesses. Schools decide for themselves how to manage their finances including, for example the additional cost of VAT, the impact of the national minimum wage and in relation to any pay award they may choose to make.

Whether she has made an estimate of the proportion of private schools in England which have increased fees due to the introduction of VAT.

Private school fees and finances are a matter for private schools, as private businesses. Schools decide for themselves how to manage their finances including, for example the additional cost of VAT, the impact of the national minimum wage and in relation to any pay award they may choose to make.

Pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2025 to Question 76397 on Driving: Disqualification, how many drivers with more than 12 or more penalty points had not been disqualified by a court in 2025.

Where a driving licence holder has accumulated 12 or more penalty points, a court can exercise its discretion and decide not to disqualify them. Courts may allow drivers to retain their entitlement to drive where it is considered that disqualification would cause exceptional hardship. These decisions are for the courts, not the Department for Transport or the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), which update and maintain the driver record using information provided by His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service. On 13 February 2026, there were 10,822 drivers with 12 or more penalty points who retain current entitlement to drive and have not been disqualified by a court. Of these, 7,153 were awarded some or all of their points during 2025.

How many fixed penalty notices for careless driving due to excessive middle lane motorway use have been issued by police forces in (a) England and (b) Leicestershire since 2013.

The Home Office collects and publishes data on fixed penalty notices (FPNs) and other outcomes for motoring offences as part of the annual "Police Powers and Procedures: Roads Policing” statistics. The latest publication can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-roads-policing-to-december-2023Table FPN_03 of the data tables available at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67506ce8d12a2dad3bc97ab4/FPN-other-motoring-offences-statistics-police-powers-procedures-year-ending-dec-23.ods contains information on the number of FPNs (and other outcomes) for motoring offences, recorded by police forces in England and Wales, broken down by offence type, during each calendar year between 2011 and 2023.Middle lane misuse is treated under the general offence of careless driving (classified in these statistics under offence class 804a). Home Office statistics do not record middle lane misuse as a distinct category, and it cannot be separated from other forms of careless driving.

If she will make an assessment of (a) the ability for police forces to issue fixed penalty notices for motorists caught for excessively driving in the middle lanes of motorways and (b) trends in excessive middle lane motorway driving in (i) England and (ii) the Midlands.

(a) The enforcement of road traffic law and how available resources are deployed is the responsibility of individual Chief Officers and Police and Crime Commissioners, taking into account the specific local problems and demands with which they are faced. The Police are operationally independent and they will investigate each case according to its individual merits. (b) - The Department does not hold this data.

What estimate she has made about levels of [i] cases and [ii] prosecutions of individuals attempting to sell illegal retrofit headlamp bulbs in the UK.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) carries out proactive monitoring of online marketplaces to identify products with potentially misleading claims such as road legal or MOT compliant. Where appropriate, DVSA targets test purchasing and carries out assessments to confirm compliance with applicable standards and engages with sellers to correct inaccurate advertising and remove non-compliant products from sale. In the last year, DVSA has investigated 113 cases. DVSA has no estimate on prosecutions as it is dependent on the effectiveness of other interventions.

Pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2026 to Question 107755 on Hospitality Industry VAT, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of lessons learned from (a) France, (b) Germany, (c) Italy and (d) the Republic of Ireland on introducing hospitality VAT rates.

The Government is aware that some European countries apply reduced VAT rates to hospitality, reflecting different tax systems, policy choices and wider fiscal contexts. VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. Reduced rates of VAT come at a significant cost to the Exchequer, reduce the revenue available for vital public services, and must represent value for money for the taxpayer. The Government keeps all taxes under review, with decisions on VAT rates taken by the Chancellor at fiscal events.

What steps she is taking to conduct research into increased headlight glare from different makes and models of vehicles.

The Department commissioned ground-breaking independent research into headlamp glare in 2024, which was published in November 2025. This provided an important first step and a second phase of research is being developed to identify the vehicle design factors that may be responsible. Officials are currently engaging with relevant stakeholders to inform the programme of work, and we expect to procure and commission this next phase in the spring.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with relevant stakeholders on her food labelling policies.

Defra meets regularly with a variety of stakeholders in the farming and food industry. Through these meetings, ministers are able to engage with relevant stakeholders on a range of relevant topical matters, including food labelling, as necessary.Defra also regularly meets with stakeholder groups, such as the Business Expert Group on Food Standards and Labelling, which is an advisory forum that facilitates structured dialogue between government, industry and enforcement bodies specifically on food labelling.

Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the [i] FA and [ii] other football bodies the use of [a] schools and [b] multi-use sports facilities by local youth football clubs for training and playing matches.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, including children and young people, have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities. In 2026/27, we will invest £85m across the UK via the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities (MSGF) Programme, building on the £98m being invested through the programme in 2025/26. This supports communities, including children and young people, to get active through funding artificial grass pitches, floodlights, changing pavilions and other facility improvements. Last year, the Government announced a new PE and School Sport Partnerships model and a new Enrichment Framework for schools to ensure all young people have equal access to high-quality sport and extracurricular activity. A national network will be developed to build strong partnerships between schools, local clubs and National Governing Bodies to identify and break down barriers to sport for children who are less active. I recently met with colleagues in the Department for Education and the Department for Health and Social Care to discuss this, as we move towards introducing this new approach.

What assessment she has made on the potential impact of changes to Part 2 student loan repayments and the freezing of interest thresholds on the (a) degree and (b) course choices of young people.

Plan 2 loans were designed and implemented by previous governments. Students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements. As these loans are not available for prospective students in England, there is no impact on degree and course choices.

If she will undertake a review of student and graduate opinion about the retrospective nature of changes to Part 2 student loan repayments and the freezing of interest thresholds.

We inherited a Plan 2 loan system that was devised and implemented by the previous government, and there have not been retrospective changes to repayments. Students sign the terms and conditions of the student loan plan type available at the time of their studies before any money is paid to them. Student loan terms and conditions make clear that the conditions of the loan may change in line with the regulations that govern the loans.There has also been no freezing of interest rate threshold. Interest accrues on loan balances at a rate of Retail Price Index (RPI) to RPI+3% until the loan has been repaid in full or is cancelled. Borrowers on Plan 2 terms have interest applied at RPI only if earnings fall below the repayment threshold and interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by borrowers.If a borrower becomes disabled and permanently unfit for work, loan balances, including interest, may be written off. For all borrowers, any outstanding loan, including interest accrued, will be cancelled after the loan term ends, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to Part 2 student loan repayments and the freezing of interest thresholds on [a] women and [b] students with disabilities.

We inherited a Plan 2 loan system that was devised and implemented by the previous government, and there have not been retrospective changes to repayments. Students sign the terms and conditions of the student loan plan type available at the time of their studies before any money is paid to them. Student loan terms and conditions make clear that the conditions of the loan may change in line with the regulations that govern the loans.There has also been no freezing of interest rate threshold. Interest accrues on loan balances at a rate of Retail Price Index (RPI) to RPI+3% until the loan has been repaid in full or is cancelled. Borrowers on Plan 2 terms have interest applied at RPI only if earnings fall below the repayment threshold and interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by borrowers.If a borrower becomes disabled and permanently unfit for work, loan balances, including interest, may be written off. For all borrowers, any outstanding loan, including interest accrued, will be cancelled after the loan term ends, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

Pursuant to WPQ 109606 answered on 3 February 2026 on Pensioners: Taxation, what the maximum value is of small amounts of tax.

As stated in answer to WPQ 109606 on 3 February, the government will set out in due course further details on how it will ease the administrative burden for pensioners whose sole income is the basic or new State Pension without any increments.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the safeguards to protect mental health facility staff from patient assaults and subsequent follow-up procedures.

Everyone working in the National Health Service has a fundamental right to be safe at work. Violence rates in mental health settings are lower than the national average. Individual employers put in place a robust range of measures, including, security, training, and emotional support for staff that are affected by violence.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of current safeguards in place to protect NHS staff from patient assaults, and subsequent follow-up procedures.

Everyone working in the National Health Service has a fundamental right to be safe at work. There is a zero-tolerance approach to violence in the workplace.Individual employers are responsible for the health and safety of their staff, and they put in place measures, including, security, training, and emotional support for staff affected by violence.Existing measures will be strengthened by the introduction of a new set of staff standards, as detailed in the 10-Year Health Plan.

How many doctors have had to file an estimate for their tax returns as a result of not receiving the appropriate Pension Savings Statements before 31 January 2026.

The Department, the NHS Business Services Authority, and HM Revenue and Customs do not hold this information.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of IT issues on pharmacies claiming payment for Pharmacy First Services that they have carried out.

Payments made to pharmacy contractors in England are set out in the Drug Tariff. Within the Drug Tarif there are discretionary provisions for advanced services, including Pharmacy First, that allow contractors to receive payment if the submission of claims data was delayed by an IT issue outside the contractor’s control. All payments are subject to an investigation by the NHS Business Services Authority and the required evidence being supplied by the contractor and IT system supplier.