Written questions by Mishra.

Whether her Department has met with representatives of the automotive industry, including manufacturers and dealership groups, to discuss the potential consequences of treating Employee Car Ownership Scheme vehicles as full company-car benefits for tax purposes.

At Budget 2025, the government announced that, to allow more time for the sector to prepare for and adapt to the proposed changes in treatment to Employee Car Ownership Schemes (ECOS), its implementation will be delayed to 6 April 2030, with transitional arrangements until April 2032.The government maintains regular engagement with vehicle manufacturers and the wider automotive industry. The changes announced at Budget 2025 have been welcomed by the sector.

Communities and Local Government, if his Department will make an assessment of the affordability of ground rents in Stockport constituency.

I refer the hon. Member to answer given to Question UIN 102566 on 12 January 2026.

Whether her department plans to assess the (a) funding and (b) availability of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund for families with children dealing with complex trauma in Stockport constituency.

The government has confirmed the adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF) will continue in 2026/27 and that applications which start in 2025/26 and which run into 2026-27 can be made. Details of the ASGSF from April 2026, including for families in Stockport, will be made available once departmental business planning decisions are completed. We will share details of the public engagement process on longer-term decisions as soon as possible.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce the waiting time for patients with significant levels of HLA antibodies to get a kidney transplant.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for organ donation services in the United Kingdom, including management of the NHS Organ Donor Register and the transplant waiting list.Kidney allocation in the UK is based on a national, points-based matching system, via the UK Kidney Offering Scheme, which prioritises recipients according to factors including blood group compatibility, time on the waiting list, tissue match, age, and the presence of human leukocyte antigens (HLA) antibodies, known as sensitisation. This system was updated in 2019 with the aim of reducing long waiting times. Under this scheme, the most highly sensitised patients are placed in the highest priority category to receive donor organs, as it can be hard to find suitable organs for these patients.Patients and clinicians can access the NHSBT’s Kidney Risk Communication Tool, which provides indicative outcomes for patients with similar characteristics after joining the transplant waiting list. The Kidney Risk Communication Tool is available at the following link:https://www.odt.nhs.uk/transplantation/tools-policies-and-guidance/risk-communication-tools/In addition, in December 2024, the Department-led Implementation Steering Group for Organ Utilisation (ISOU) made recommendations regarding high-resolution HLA-typing for organ donors and recipients to enable better matching and improve transplantation outcomes. Information on the ISOU is available at the following link:https://www.odt.nhs.uk/odt-structures-and-standards/clinical-leadership/implementation-steering-group-for-organ-utilisation/In addition, further details are available in a report, at the following link:https://nhsbtdbe.blob.core.windows.net/umbraco-assets-corp/36474/report-of-the-isou-histocompatibility-and-immunogenetics-hi-sub-group.pdf

Pursuant to the answer of 22 April 2025 to question 44579 on Avanti West Coast: Ticket Offices, what information her Department has received from Avanti West Coast on non-adherence with regulated ticket office opening hours in each of the last 12 months.

The Department receives regular reporting from Avanti West Coast (AWC) on its compliance with regulated ticket office opening hours under Schedule 17 of the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement. Excluding ticket office closures as a result of industrial action or planned engineering works, AWC’s average compliance with its managed ticket office opening hours over the last 12 months was 97 per cent.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Access for All scheme on passenger accessibility and satisfaction at stations across Stockport borough.

This government is committed to improving the accessibility of the railway and recognises the social and economic benefits this brings to communities. In May 2024, the previous government selected 50 stations for initial feasibility work for potential upgrades as part of our Access for All programme. This did not include any stations in the Stockport borough. Given the acute funding pressures on capital investments, any sources of funding that can be identified locally, for example from s106 monies, would also be a way of bringing forward accessibility upgrades at stations in the borough.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of statements by the President of the United States and senior US officials on the Republic of Cuba’s political future, in the context of recent US military actions in Venezuela.

I refer the Hon Member to the statement to the House made by the Foreign Secretary on 5 January, and her responses in that debate.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what her Department's policy is on the sovereignty of the Republic of Cuba.

Consistent with the UN Charter, the UK recognises the principle of the sovereign equality of all UN Member States, including Cuba.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the conduct and outcome of the 29 October 2025 general election in the United Republic of Tanzania.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 17 November 2025 in response to Question 87702.In addition, on 5 December, our High Commission in Dar es Salaam issued a statement alongside partners urging the Tanzanian government to address the shortcomings highlighted in the African Union and Southern African Development Community's preliminary election observation reports.

Pursuant to the answer of 16 December 2025 to question 97955 titled Brinnington Station: Staff, what steps her Department can take when rail operators fail to comply with their obligations under the ticketing and settlement agreement.

It is a requirement of the operators’ contracts that they must comply with all inter-operator schemes, which includes the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement (TSA) and the associated schedules that relate to ticket office opening hours. Operators must make reasonable endeavours to ensure that ticket office opening hours stipulated in Schedule 17 of the TSA are adhered to. Where an operator is not meeting this requirement further action can be taken against the operator, including the formal contractual breach process which could include issuing a notice to improve performance.

Pursuant to the answer of 22 December 2025 to question 99889 titled Railways: Anti-social Behaviour and Crimes of Violence, whether her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of statutory powers to intervene in budget-setting decisions made by the British Transport Police Authority.

The British Transport Police Authority (BTPA), the executive non-departmental public body that oversees the British Transport Police Force (BTP), plays a key role in ensuring there is independent and expert oversight of the BTP force. It agrees strategies and objectives, resourcing and budgets, and policy and regulatory requirements. The Department for Transport has powers to set overarching expectations of the Authority and I am satisfied that this oversight, as defined in the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003, does not require amendment.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Bangladeshi counterpart on the killing of Dipu Chandra Das.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 12 January in response to Question 101933.

Pursuant to the answer of 22 December 202, to Question 99888 titled Railways: Conditions of Employment, (a) what assessment her Department has made of the likely impact of Great British Railways on employment practices across the rail network and (b) whether her Department will make an assessment of potential differences in terms and conditions between outsourced and directly employed rail staff once workforce matters transfer to Great British Railways.

Great British Railways (GBR) aims to integrate track and train operations while modernising working practices to deliver consistent standards across the network. As work to establish GBR continues, matters relating to employee terms and conditions will be considered. The Government’s approach will be driven by what delivers best value for users of the railway, and for taxpayers who contribute to the costs of running it, as well as the interests of the workforce.

Whether she will publish a monitoring and evaluation framework on disability equality training in order to establish a baseline level of training to meet requirements under Section 36 of the Bus Services Act 2025.

We are clear that high‑quality staff training is essential to providing bus services that are accessible for all passengers. That is why the Bus Services Act 2025 will mandate that both bus drivers and passenger-assisting staff undertake disability awareness and assistance training. Section 36 of the Bus Services Act 2025 provides powers for the Secretary of State for Transport to require carriers and terminal managing bodies to record and publish training statistics in order to ensure that compliance can be monitored. Once commenced, we will expect all relevant operators and terminal managing bodies to comply with their reporting duties. We will engage with relevant stakeholders when developing such requirements, and will provide the industry with more information in due course. The approach to evaluating the impact of the requirements under Section 36 will be considered as part of a wider monitoring and evaluation plan for the Bus Services Act 2025. In particular, and as stated in our Impact Assessment on the new measures on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), we intend to undertake process evaluation, for example evaluating the mechanisms for developing, delivering and reporting on the new disability training requirements, as part of the process evaluation for the Act’s wider training requirements on VAWG and anti-social behaviour.

What discussions her Department has had with the British Transport Police Authority regarding the adequacy of current levels of funding to meet recent trends in levels of violent crime and antisocial behaviour on the rail network.

The British Transport Police (BTP) play a vital role in keeping passengers and staff safe across the rail network. Their budget is set by the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA) following proposals from the Force and engagement with industry and railway operators. The Department for Transport has no statutory powers to intervene in these decisions. The BTPA agreed a three-year budget settlement for BTP on 10 December which will see BTP’s budget increase by 6.2% for FY 2026/27, 5.6% for FY 2027/28 and 2.5% for FY 2028/29. BTP’s budget will increase by £63m from £418.5m in 25/26 to £481.5m in 28/29. This will see over 180 additional officer roles created in highly visible Network Policing, as well as a new dedicated Violence and Intimidation Against Women and Girls capability with 36 further officers by the end of 2027/28. The British Transport Police Authority and rail industry will now need to work through the full implications of this settlement.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential differences in terms and conditions between outsourced and directly employed staff within train operating companies, including pay, sick pay, pensions and travel facilities; and whether the Railways Bill will include measures to address employment practices and contractual arrangements affecting outsourced rail workers.

The Department for Transport has not made an assessment of the potential differences in terms and conditions between outsourced and directly employed staff within train operating companies. These matters are managed directly by the operators and employers themselves. In the future, workforce issues, including employment practices and contractual arrangements, will be a matter for Great British Railways. The Railways Bill does not cover matters relating to employment.

What steps her Department is taking to prevent general aviation aircrafts, landing at small airports, airfields and airstrips, from facilitating the smuggling of (a) people, (b) drug and (c) arms.

The security of the UK border remains our top priority, and this government is committed to strengthening border security. Border Force conducts robust security checks on those arriving into the UK, including 100% checks on all notified general aviation flights and spot checks at aerodromes to reinforce security.Border Force allocates resources based on assessed risk, applying intelligence and targeting techniques. We have significantly reduced the number of aerodromes authorised to handle international or Common Travel Area flights by 85%, and anyone who fails to submit the required information prior to flying faces civil penalties.Border Force has implemented a range of initiatives to address vulnerabilities. These include:• Substantially reducing the number of aerodromes permitted to handle flights to and from the UK.• Introducing a civil penalties regime for non-compliance with airfield designation requirements.• Person details checked on all notified GA flights.• The General Aviation (Persons on Board, Flight Information and Civil Penalties Regulations), which came into force on 6 April 2024, require that specified information about General Aviation flights and persons onboard must be submitted online and in advance of departure to Home Office Systems. Failure to comply with these requirements can result in civil penalty.• Working closely with the National Crime Agency and the police to counter threats such as smuggling, immigration crime and terrorism at UK airfields has resulted in seizures of Class A Drugs (in total approx 130kgs) at small airfields and identification of undocumented arrivals, leading to multiple criminal convictions and working with partners to identify non-compliant GA flights.• Regular Home Office engagement with the GA community representatives and cross-government partners.

(a) what discussions her Department has had with Avanti West Coast on the use of Withdrawal of Implied Permission (WIP) notices to address anti-social behaviour on the rail network and (b) whether the Department plans to introduce a consistent, network-wide approach to WIPs.

No such discussions have taken place. Usage of Withdrawal of Implied Permission (WIP) notices is an operational matter for operators, Network Rail and the British Transport Police. The Department keeps security under constant review, however no change of policy for Withdrawal of Implied Permission (WIP) is planned at this stage.

Pursuant to the answer of 1 December 2025, to question 93987 on Phenylketonuria: Health Foods, (a) If he will confirm the latest number of individuals with Phenylketonuria receiving low-protein foods on prescription and (b) if his Department will make an assessment of the potential positive business implications on manufacturers and suppliers of low-protein foods in the event of a shift from prescriptions to financial support.

Regarding the number of individuals with Phenylketonuria receiving low-protein foods on prescription, the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) does not hold this information centrally.NHBSA prescription data does not contain information about the indication, medical condition, or reason that a prescription was issued.We are not considering shifting to a different model to support those with Phenylketonuria thus do not intend to assess the potential impact on manufacturers and suppliers.

Whether her Department has had discussions with Northern on ticket office staffing levels at Brinnington station.

Rail North Partnership, through which the Department and Transport for the North jointly manage Northern’s contract, has regular conversations about Northern services, including ticket office staffing and opening hours. Operators must comply with their obligations under the ticketing and settlement agreement between the Secretary of State and the operator.