Written questions by Wilkinson.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposals to introduce unitary government in Gloucestershire on democratic representation in towns with a population of more than 100,000 people.

Gloucestershire councils have not yet submitted their proposal(s) for local government reorganisation. They are due by 28 November. Once proposals are submitted, and following a statutory consultation, Ministers will carefully consider proposals against the criteria set out in the invitation letter sent to Gloucestershire councils on 6 February 2025, before a decision is taken on which proposal, if any, is implemented.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of potential impact of the UK Games Fund on (a) employment, (b) investment, (c) studio formation and (d) IP development over the next 12 months.

DCMS commissioned an independent evaluation of the UK Games Fund (UKGF) by Alma Economics which was published on 18th July 2025. This evaluation assessed the fund’s impact between April 2022 and March 2025, as well as previous iterations of the programme since 2015.The evaluation found that:UKGF was estimated to contribute around 430 additional FTE jobs in the video games sector during the three years evaluated.UKGF-funded companies surveyed leveraged an additional £18.2m in funding, which exceeds the total £13m invested into the fund.On IP development, 74% of beneficiaries agreed or strongly agreed that their prototype or video game would not have been completed without UKGF support, which was associated with an eight-percentage-point increase in the probability of beneficiaries having developed a prototype or video game after one year of funding, compared to those who did not receive UKGF support.The evaluation did not measure the fund’s impact on studio formation but, in response to interviews, some applicants commented that UKGF was well-targeted to smaller studios early in the development process, noting it as a critical funding source for games studios that had not yet made a game in full.As part of the recently published Creative Industries Sector Plan, the government announced the £30 million Games Growth Package, including an expansion of the UKGF over the next three years. While we do not have an assessment of the fund’s impact over the next 12 months, it is anticipated that the programme will achieve greater impact with its increased funding.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce the time taken for civil servants to access the ill health retirement scheme.

The Department recognises the importance of timely access to ill health retirement and there is a process in place to ensure that members, employers, the scheme medical advisor and, where appropriate, the pension scheme administrator, all work together to complete this as quickly as possible. Whilst there are indicative timelines for various steps, timelines may vary due to the complexity of each case and complex cases may take longer when external parties are also required to contribute to the process. Employers and members have oversight of progress of their own individual cases and the Cabinet Office continues to monitor the contractual performance of the scheme medical advisor and the pension scheme administrator.

Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the pace of the regeneration of empty buildings on high streets.

There are no plans to make such an assessment. However, MHCLG has commissioned a formal evaluation of the Future High Streets Fund as part of the wider Towns Fund evaluation. Emerging findings published in July 2025 include case studies on regeneration projects in Northallerton, Loftus and Yeovil, highlighting early process and impact insights on pride in place, well-being and economic growth. Final results are expected in Spring 2026. The Government is committed to bringing empty buildings back into use, and is championing the use of High Street Rental Auctions by local authorities, a key tool to help reduce vacancy and make high streets more accessible.

Whether she has considered reviewing banding for vehicle excise duty based on emissions rather than registration date.

Different Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) rates apply to cars, vans, motorcycles and HGVs and the rate for each vehicle is calculated according to a range of factors, such as its date of first registration, weight, or CO2 emissions. Since 2001, the VED system has encouraged the uptake of cars with low carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to help meet the UK's legally binding climate targets. Cars first registered between 1 March 2001 and 31 March 2017 pay VED annually according to CO2 emissions. From 1 April 2017, new cars pay a variable first year rate according to the emissions of the vehicle, with the most polluting currently paying over £5,400, and zero emission models currently pay £10. After the first year, most cars move to a standard annual rate, currently set at £195.

Media and Sport, what discussion she has had with the video games industry on the availability of business training for entrepreneurs in that sector.

The then Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism met with the newly formed Video Games Council in September where the availability of business training for entrepreneurs in the video games sector was discussed.As noted in the Creative Industries Sector Plan, the Video Games Skills Strategy is being developed and published in 2025 by a sector-convened UK Games Skills Network. This will build on findings from the Creative Industries Council Skills Audit, giving video games skills organisations and delivery partners a clear remit for tackling persistent skills gaps.The Government looks forward to this important piece of industry-led work to assess sector needs, including in business training for entrepreneurs.Currently, businesses are able to access Business & IP Centres, coordinated by the British Library, that provide businesses and entrepreneurs with access to IP knowledge, market intelligence, and support services, with locations across the UK.As outlined in the Creative Industries Sector Plan, the government will also work with industry to support sector training pathways through a new DCMS and Skills England led Creative Sector Skills Forum.

What steps her Department is taking to help prevent VAT fraud by (a) misrepresentation and (b) impersonation.

Tax fraud undermines our economy, hurts legitimate businesses and robs our vital public services of much-needed funds. The Government is committed to tackling tax non-compliance through technology, operational interventions and policy change.HMRC deploys advanced analytics and risk profiling to identify businesses that misrepresent their activities, turnover, or goods classification to gain VAT advantages, which are subject to targeted compliance interventions. The number of HMRC compliance officers will grow by an additional 5,500 by 2029/30 from July 2024 levels.HMRC combines identity verification and registration checks using a range of risk indicators to prevent and detect impersonation. HMRC also uses a wide range of civil and criminal powers to tackle the criminal groups behind VAT fraud. The Government is investing to ensure HMRC can continue to improve resilience of its systems and improve the way customers engage securely with HMRC.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the cost of state pensions on other public spending priorities.

The Government has published Spending Review 2025, which set departmental spending allocations consistent with the fiscal strategy set out at Autumn Budget 2024 and Spring Statement 2025. This will be updated at Autumn Budget 2025.

Whether the Financial Conduct Authority plans to (a) investigate and (b) report on whether all firms’ (i) flood and (ii) storm definitions comply with the Consumer Duty.

This is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) which is operationally independent from government. The FCA will respond to the Member by letter, and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Library of the House of Commons.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of lowering VAT on construction projects on town centre regeneration.

The Government supports town centre preservation and regeneration. In September, the Government launched an overarching Pride in Place programme, providing up to £5bn over 10 years to support almost 250 places. It will target investment to communities that need it most, addressing the visible decline on high streets and the wider public realm. Local areas will be able to invest in things like youth clubs, libraries, community grocers, cultural venues, and health and wellbeing services. VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited and balanced against affordability considerations.

Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Independent Game Developers’ Association on the adequacy of the level of the Games Expenditure Credit for smaller studios.

As set out in the Creative Industries Sector Plan, the Government is committed to supporting the growth of the UK’s video games sector. DCMS have engaged with The Independent Game Developers Association, including through the industry-led UK Video Games Council, to discuss proposals for enhanced tax relief support for lower budget productions.There are a multitude of factors to consider when deciding on new tax reliefs beyond return on investment and sector impact, and the government is committed to ensuring that all public money is spent and targeted effectively across the creative industries and wider economy.

Whether her Department plans to amend regulations on luggage sizes for short haul air travel.

The Department is not currently planning to amend regulations on luggage sizes for short haul air travel. As the aviation industry in the UK operates almost entirely in the private sector, permitted luggage sizes are a commercial decision for each airline.

What discussions she has had with the video games industry on the number of vocational qualifications for 16 to 18 year olds.

Students deserve high-quality qualifications that meet their needs. The department continues to develop and improve qualifications so that they meet the needs of students and employers.The Digital Software Development T Level provides young people with the core knowledge and skills for a career in software production and design, including in games design and development.We will consider how to continue to improve the quality of qualifications available to students, including on games design, in the light of the recommendations from the Curriculum and Assessment Review, and will engage with employers and sector organisations on this in due course. The Curriculum and Assessment Review will publish recommendations in autumn 2025.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the introduction of self-driving taxis on local economies.

The Automated Passenger Services permitting scheme, which was consulted on between July and September 2025, facilitates the deployment of self-driving bus-, taxi- and private hire-like services. Pilot deployments under this scheme, which will be in place from Spring 2026, are anticipated to be in specific locations and small in scale. Over this initial period, the economic impact is anticipated to be small. Pilot deployments will contribute to government’s understanding of the economic impact of these services, including their relationship with existing modes of transport.

What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the 50 PLUS: Choices scheme.

Since the launch of the Midlife MOT, we have reached older people through multiple channels to help them assess their health, finances and skills. The Private Sector Midlife MOT pilot programmes concluded at the end of June 2024 and the evaluation can be found here: Private Sector Midlife MOT Pilots qualitative research interim findings - GOV.UK. The evaluation report on the JCP Midlife MOT was published in September 2025: Jobcentre Plus Midlife MOT qualitative research - GOV.UK. We have other evaluation work in progress covering a range of 50 plus policies, with a synthesis of evaluation findings which we are currently planning to publish next year. Our new Jobs and Careers service will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and help them progress in work or increase their earnings. The Jobs and Careers Service will incorporate principles of accessibility and inclusivity, acknowledging diverse support needs, including those of older individuals.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of proposals to harmonise tax rates on gambling on jobs in horse racing.

Future proposals on gambling duties are a matter for HMT. Should changes to the tax regime be announced in the Autumn Statement, we expect them to be accompanied by tax and impact notes from HMT, as is standard practice.

If his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) bringing forward legislative proposals to charge interest on outstanding debts of child maintenance of more than a year's standing and (b) ensuring that outstanding debts are paid by his Department to the parent with care.

Where a paying parent fails to pay on time or in full, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) aims to take immediate action to recover the debt and re-establish compliance.If the paying parent is employed, the CMS will request that ongoing child maintenance payments be deducted directly from their salary. The CMS also has a range of other enforcement powers that can be used against those who consistently refuse to meet their obligations to provide financial support to their children, including deducting maintenance from a wide range of bank accounts. The CMS can also use further measures, including using Enforcement Agents to take control of goods, disqualification from driving or commitment to prison, and disqualification from holding or obtaining a UK passport.Interest is not charged to outstanding debts. However, the CMS imposes enforcement fees to incentivise paying parents to meet their obligations voluntarily. If a parent fails to pay through a voluntary arrangement (like Direct Pay), the CMS may switch the case to Collect and Pay, which includes a 20% surcharge for the paying parent. The CMS is committed to ensuring all separated parents within the statutory scheme support their children financially and will continue to pursue unpaid child maintenance debt, including deducting payments from pensions income.

What steps her Department is taking to encourage students to study video game design degrees.

The government is committed to supporting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics subjects, including computer games design courses, which are vital to the UK’s research base, innovation capacity and Industrial Strategy.For the 2025/26 academic year, two-thirds of the £1.3 billion Strategic Priorities Grant recurrent funding to higher education providers is allocated to support the provision of high-cost subjects. From this funding, the Office for Students is allocating £289.50 per full-time equivalent student to providers for computer games design students.The department continues to invest in the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE) to improve the quality of computing teaching and increase uptake of computing qualifications. To raise awareness of further study and careers in computing and digital, the NCCE facilitates industry-led outreach events. In July 2025, over 3,000 students attended an NCCE webinar focused on careers in the games industry and further events are being planned in collaboration with partners including British Esports.

Whether her Department holds information on the number of students that undertook undergraduate degrees in Games and Animation in the (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2023-24 academic years.

In the 2023/24 academic year, there were 15,450 undergraduate enrolments across all UK higher education (HE) providers in the subject area ‘Computer games and animation’ (common aggregation hierarchy (CAH) subject code 11-01-06).In the 2013/14 academic year, there were 4,065 undergraduate enrolments across all UK HE providers in the subject areas ‘Games’ (Joint Academic Coding System (JACS) subject code I6) and ‘Computer generated visual & audio effects’ (JACS subject code I7).In 2019/20, a new subject classification system, the Higher Education Classification of Subjects and the CAH, was introduced to replace the JACS. Subjects in both systems have been chosen to match as closely as possible, but counts of enrolments may not be directly comparable between the two systems.

How many video games studios have received (a) Video Games Tax Relief and (b) Video Games Expenditure Credit since they were introduced.

The Government recognises the importance of the creative industries, including the key role they play in driving economic growth. Video games jobs are highly productive at nearly double the average national output, and technology developed by games businesses contributes an estimated £1.3 billion output to the UK economy each year. Video games companies benefit from the Video Games Expenditure Credit (VGEC), which was introduced on 1 January 2024 and provides a tax credit of 34 per cent on UK video games development costs. All new games must claim VGEC from 1 April 2025 and VGTR will expire in April 2027. HMRC publish annual creative industry tax relief statistics on gov.uk, that can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/creative-industries-statistics