Written questions by Evans.

What steps he plans to take to publicise the Fuel Finder Website to motorists.

Fuel Finder data will be made freely available and third party services such as navigation apps and price comparison websites who will integrate the data into their consumer-facing tools, meaning drivers can access accurate, up-to-date fuel prices without needing to visit the website directly. The Government will publicise Fuel Finder through its usual communications channels to raise awareness of the new system.

What steps he plans to take to monitor the take up of the Fuel Finder Website by motorists.

Motorists will primarily access Fuel Finder data indirectly through third-party navigation apps and price comparison websites. Fuel Finder will track who is accessing the data as an indicator of overall usage. The service will also undergo a statutory evaluation which will as a minimum assess the likely effects for existing and future customers.

Pursuant to WPQ 103428 answered on 19 January 2026 on Speed Limit: Fines, what National Highways' planned timescale is for the implementation of the solution to the speed camera anomaly.

As set out in response to WPQ 103428 on 19 January, a Home Office approved solution to this issue has been agreed, and National Highways and the police are continuing to work together to implement this as a priority. In the meantime, National Highways has put in place measures including increased Traffic Patrol Officers, alongside the existing tactics that the police use to enforce speed limits on the Strategic Road Network including mobile camera deployments, roads policing patrols and average speed sites.

What steps he is taking to quality assure information on the Fuel Finder Website.

Under the Motor Fuel Price (Open Data) regulations 2025, the appointed aggregator is responsible for managing the registration information and providing real-time fuel price information. The Department also requires the aggregator to implement data quality assurance processes to ensure all information published through the Fuel Finder service meets agreed standards. This includes validating price submissions at the point of entry and implementing continuous data quality monitoring to maintain accuracy and reliability.

When his Department plans to publish the Fuel Finder Website.

The Fuel Finder scheme is now live, with registration open to petrol stations. From 2 February, petrol stations will be required to report their fuel prices within 30 minutes of a change. This data will be made freely available on the Fuel Finder website and integrated into mapping software and price comparison apps, enabling consumers to compare prices easily and make informed decisions on where to buy their fuel.

If she will make a comparative assessment of the potential impact of levels of [a] standard and [b] hospitality VAT on the sustainability of the hospitality industry in [i] France, [ii] Germany, [iii] Italy and [iv] the Republic of Ireland.

The Government recognises the significant contribution made by hospitality businesses to economic growth and social life in the UK.VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. Providing further VAT relief or introducing new reduced rates would reduce tax revenue and add further complexity to the tax system.Furthermore, HMRC estimates that the cost of a 5 per cent reduced rate for accommodation, hospitality and tourist attractions would be around £17bn in 2026-27. This would reduce VAT revenue, which pays for public services, by almost 10%.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the 2024 Slaughter Sector Survey, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the number of [a] pigs, [b] chickens [c] cows and [d] sheep that were not stunned before slaughter compared to the last five reported survey years.

Regulations require that animals must be stunned prior to slaughter so that they are unconscious and insensible to pain. The only exception to the requirement to stun is where animals are slaughtered in accordance with religious rites. The Government would prefer all animals to be stunned before slaughter, but we respect the rights of Jews and Muslims to eat meat prepared in accordance with their religious beliefs. For sheep and goats, the Government supports an industry-led initiative called the Demonstration of Life Protocol, which provides assurance for Muslim consumers that the stunning of these animals is compatible with halal slaughter requirements, while protecting the welfare of the animals involved and supporting opportunities for trade. All pigs are stunned before slaughter, in accordance with legislation. As set out in the government’s animal welfare strategy, we will consult on banning the use of carbon dioxide gas as a method of stunning pigs.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the 2024 Slaughter Sector Survey, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the number of [a] pigs, [b] chickens [c] cows and [d] sheep that were stunned before slaughter compared to the last five reported survey years.

Regulations require that animals must be stunned prior to slaughter so that they are unconscious and insensible to pain. The only exception to the requirement to stun is where animals are slaughtered in accordance with religious rites. The Government would prefer all animals to be stunned before slaughter, but we respect the rights of Jews and Muslims to eat meat prepared in accordance with their religious beliefs. For sheep and goats, the Government supports an industry-led initiative called the Demonstration of Life Protocol, which provides assurance for Muslim consumers that the stunning of these animals is compatible with halal slaughter requirements, while protecting the welfare of the animals involved and supporting opportunities for trade. All pigs are stunned before slaughter, in accordance with legislation. As set out in the government’s animal welfare strategy, we will consult on banning the use of carbon dioxide gas as a method of stunning pigs.

Pursuant to WPQ 103428 answered on 19 January 2026 on Speed Limit: Fines, what body is coordinating the independent investigation on the anomaly; and when that body will report.

The terms of reference were published on Monday 19 January 2026 at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-on-the-national-highways-nh-speeding-enforcement-issue-terms-of-reference/independent-review-on-the-national-highways-nh-speeding-enforcement-issue-terms-of-reference.

Pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2026 to Question 101467 on Men, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that the terms and reference, objectives and conclusions of the planned Men and Boys Summit feed into wider policy work about men, including the implementation of the Men's Health Strategy.

The Prime Minister has tasked the Deputy Prime Minister and myself, the Minister for Victims and Violence Against Women and Girls, with leading the Government’s efforts to tackle the challenges faced by men and boys. This work is in development, but we will of course ensure that the Men and Boys Summit and its outcomes align with existing strategies and activity across Government, including the Men’s Health Strategy. We will keep Cabinet colleagues updated and provide further detail in due course.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the increase in employer National Insurance contributions on the financial sustainability of opticians and eye care practices.

The Government has protected the smallest businesses and charities from the impact of the increase to employer National Insurance by increasing the Employment Allowance from £5,000 to £10,500. That means more than half of businesses with NICs liabilities either gain or see no change this financial year. A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to employer NICs. The TIIN sets out the impact of the policy on the exchequer, the economic impacts of the policy, and the impacts on individuals, businesses, and civil society organisations, as well as an overview of the equality impacts.

With reference to the CMA's First Annual Road Fuel Monitoring Report, what assessment he has made about the extent of competition in the road fuel retail market.

The Government notes the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) annual road fuel monitoring report, which found that fuel margins remain high and are not explained by operating costs. Addressing the CMA’s findings, the Government is implementing Fuel Finder, a statutory open data scheme for road fuel prices to improve price transparency and incentivise competition in the market from both supermarket and non-supermarket retailers. The CMA also has statutory powers under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 to monitor the market and advise on any further action.

Pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2025 to Question 96945 on Ophthalmic Services, what steps his Department is taking to share best practice between Integrated Care Boards in order to reduce regional inequalities in access to eye care services.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are encouraged to share best practice to help reduce regional inequalities in access to eye care services via the NHS Future Platform The Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme also has best practice guidance for ophthalmology. More information is available at the following link:https://gettingitrightfirsttime.co.uk/surgical_specialties/ophthalmology/

Pursuant to Question 101467 answered on 5 January 2026 about Men, if he will speak to Cabinet colleagues about the potential merits of the appointment of a Minister or Government-appointed Ambassador to capture common themes and trends facing men and boys arising from the Men and Boys Summit and the Men's Health Strategy.

The Prime Minister has tasked the Deputy Prime Minister and myself, the Minister for Victims and Violence Against Women and Girls, with leading the Government’s efforts to tackle the challenges faced by men and boys. This work is in development, but we will of course ensure that the Men and Boys Summit and its outcomes align with existing strategies and activity across Government, including the Men’s Health Strategy. We will keep Cabinet colleagues updated and provide further detail in due course.

Whether she will make an assessment of trends in levels of fuel theft, such as drive-offs or biking, from petrol stations and the measures that can be taken to tackle the crime.

We would encourage retailers to report any instances of fuel theft to the police.We are also making it easier for retailers to recover the costs when fuel is taken without payment.Improvements have recently been made to the service provided by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) allowing fuel retailers and their agents to request information to allow recovery of costs when motorists drive away from fuel stations without paying for the fuel taken.This provides a quicker and more efficient approach compared with the existing manual service.

What steps she is taking to determine the number of educational psychologists required to meet demand as part of the Government's forthcoming plans for SEND.

Educational psychologists play a critical role in the support available to children and young people, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. That is why we are already investing more than £21 million to train 400 more educational psychologists over two cohorts, starting their studies in 2024 and 2025. This is in addition to the £10 million currently being invested in the training of more than 200 educational psychologists who began their training in September 2023.As these trainees complete their studies, they will join the workforce to support local authority educational psychology services, including contributing to statutory assessments. Trainees who have had their training funded by the department are required to remain in local authority employment for a minimum period. For trainees beginning their course in September 2024, this period is three years.

Communities and Local Government, what routes are available for local housing authorities and homelessness providers outside of Established Mayoral Strategic Authorities to apply for funding through the Social Housing and Affordable Homes Programme.

All registered providers of social housing, including local housing authorities, are eligible to apply for funding from the Social and Affordable Homes Programme, from Homes England outside London, or the GLA within London. This is true both in areas with an Established Mayoral Strategic Authority and those without.

Pursuant to Question 100423 answered on 22 December 2025 about Crown Courts Midlands, out of the 111,250 sitting days how many extra sitting days were allocated at [a] Leicester Crown Court, [b] Coventry Combined Court Centre and [c] Warwick Crown Court in the current financial year compared to the 2024-2025 financial year.

The Government is committed to bearing down on the backlog. We allocated the highest number of Cown Court sitting days on record this financial year (2025/26) and have allocated a further 1,250 sitting days for this financial year. The Deputy Prime Minister and Lady Chief Justice continue discussions on the allocation for 2025-26 and we will say more in due course. The table below shows allocated sitting days for Warwick and Leicester Crown Courts. It should be noted that Coventry Crown Court is a “satellite site” primarily used by Warwick, but also utilised by Birmingham Crown Court for sittings. It therefore has no sitting day allocation (as the sitting days come from the allocations of either Warwick or Birmingham). Financial yearWarwick Crown CourtLeicester Crown Court24/251377 days1578 days25/261517 days1560 daysSource: Internal HMCTS management information On top of the above allocations, during 25/26 Leicester has been allocated an additional 60 sitting days, and Warwick has been allocated an additional 25 days.

Food and Rural Affairs, when the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group last met; and if she will set out the matters that were discussed.

The National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group last met in October 2025. The matters discussed included a policy update from Defra officials, which included an update on the review of local authority vehicle seizure powers, statutory fly-tipping enforcement guidance, digital waste tracking and reform of the waste carriers, brokers, dealers and permit exemptions regime. In addition to a broader discussion among members, there were presentations by Fortix AI and Certified Rubbish.

What steps she is taking to increase the number of educational psychologists to respond to SEND needs.

Educational psychologists play a critical role in the support available to children and young people, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. That is why we are already investing more than £21 million to train 400 more educational psychologists over two cohorts, starting their studies in 2024 and 2025. This is in addition to the £10 million currently being invested in the training of more than 200 educational psychologists who began their training in September 2023.As these trainees complete their studies, they will join the workforce to support local authority educational psychology services, including contributing to statutory assessments. Trainees who have had their training funded by the department are required to remain in local authority employment for a minimum period. For trainees beginning their course in September 2024, this period is three years.