In Bristol, the South West, and across the rest of England, we are committed to increasing access to dental treatment for those in greatest need, as set out in the reform programme published last December, and available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/major-boost-for-millions-of-nhs-dental-patients

The latest NHS Dental Statistics show continued improvement across a range of key measures, with more National Health Service dental care being delivered, more dentists providing NHS services, improved access for patients, increased preventative care for children, and record levels of urgent dental activity. The publication of the annual dental statistics, which include statistics for the Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board, can be found at the following link:

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202526

Funding for preventative dental health programmes, including supervised toothbrushing and wider oral health improvement in Bristol and elsewhere in England, is available through the Public Health Grant. Further information can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-health-grants-to-local-authorities-2026-to-2027

In Bristol, the South West, and across the rest of England, we are committed to increasing access to dental treatment for those in greatest need, as set out in the reform programme published last December, and available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/major-boost-for-millions-of-nhs-dental-patients

The latest NHS Dental Statistics show continued improvement across a range of key measures, with more National Health Service dental care being delivered, more dentists providing NHS services, improved access for patients, increased preventative care for children, and record levels of urgent dental activity. The publication of the annual dental statistics, which include statistics for the Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board, can be found at the following link:

https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202526

Funding for preventative dental health programmes, including supervised toothbrushing and wider oral health improvement in Bristol and elsewhere in England, is available through the Public Health Grant. Further information can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-health-grants-to-local-authorities-2026-to-2027

During the period January to July 2026, of the 26 recorded instances of court time lost at Bristol Crown Court owing to the late delivery of a prisoner, one was attributable to Serco. The remaining 25 instances were attributable to a range of factors elsewhere in the criminal justice system, including issues arising within prisons, HM Courts and Tribunals Service and prisoner refusals.

HM Prison and Probation Service continually monitors Prisoner Escort and Custody Services (PECS) contractors through assured performance information and formal contract management arrangements, with service credits, fixed-cost remedies and improvement actions available where failures are attributable to the contractor. In addition, the ministerially-chaired Prisoner Delivery Oversight Board is co-ordinating work across criminal justice system partners to address the end-to-end causes of delay.

In the year ending 30 June 2026, contractors escorted approximately 343,000 prisoners to court. Of around 6,600 reported delays involving prisoners transported by PECS, 504 were attributable to contractor performance, with the majority arising from wider criminal justice system factors. Overall contractor performance remains strong and, where standards are not met, financial deductions, improvement plans and other contractual remedies are applied.

The Department holds monthly performance information for Prisoner Escort and Custody Services contractors covering the period since the current contracts commenced in September 2020. This includes data on prisoner movements between police stations, courts and prisons to monitor and measure overall PECS supplier service delivery and performance against Contract Delivery Indicators. The information is used to monitor contractual compliance and inform the application of improvement plans, financial deductions and other contractual remedies where required.

Previously published data show that PECS supplier-attributable delays reduced from 0.16% of court productions in 2023 to 0.08% in both 2024 and 2025. In 2025, PECS suppliers delivered prisoners to court on time in 99.91% of cases, compared with an overall criminal justice system timely delivery to court rate of 98.19%.

The Intensive Supervision Court (ISC) pilot is subject to a full impact evaluation, including an assessment of its impact on reoffending. It is too early to determine whether the pilot has influenced reoffending rates, as reliable analysis requires a sufficient follow-up period. Once the evaluation has concluded, final outcomes for the pilot will aggregate reoffending outcomes across the existing ISC pilot sites, including Bristol Crown Court ISC, with publication expected by early 2029.

Early findings from the process evaluation are encouraging, showing high levels of compliance, with 66% of offenders not breaching their orders, alongside strong participant engagement and access to treatment and support services (available on gov.uk: Process evaluation of the Intensive Supervision Courts pilot: Final Report). International evidence also suggests that problem-solving approaches such as Intensive Supervision Courts can reduce arrests by around 33% compared with standard sentences.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that local planning authorities should assess the size, type, and tenure of housing needed for different groups, and should reflect this in their planning policies and decisions.

I otherwise refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 88432 on 17 November 2025.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that local authorities have the resources needed to maintain and improve their road networks. The Government has therefore confirmed a record £7.3 billion investment into local highways maintenance over the next four years. By confirming funding allocations for the next four-year period, authorities have certainty to plan ahead and shift from short-term fixes to proactive, preventative maintenance.

South Gloucestershire and Bristol sit within the West of England Combined Authority. West of England Combined Authority receives baseline highways maintenance funding through its City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) which runs from 2022-27. In 2026/27, West of England CA will also receive £7.032 million in incentive funding. From 2027/28, all highways maintenance funding will be consolidated into Transport for City Regions (TCR) settlements, which will provide the bulk of future funding.

To further support local authorities and ensure best use of public funding, the Department published a new traffic light rating system for all local highway authorities in England on 11 January which rates authorities red, amber or green based on: the condition of their roads, how much they spend to maintain their roads and whether they do so using best practice. This system allows the Government to target support to places that need extra help and red-rated authorities have been offered dedicated support to bring them in line with best practice.

Bristol City Council received an overall amber rating, with individual scorecards showing amber for condition, green spend and amber for best practice. Additionally, South Gloucestershire received an overall amber rating, with individual scorecards showing amber for condition, green spend and amber for best practice.

Antisemitism has absolutely no place in our society, which is why we’re taking a strong lead in tackling it in all its forms, wherever it manifests.

We work closely with partners to ensure the safety and security of Jewish communities throughout the UK.

This includes working together with the Jewish community to monitor levels of religiously motivated hatred. We continue to closely observe rates of antisemitism across the country and will make the necessary interventions to combat antisemitism in all corners of our society.

DCMS was alerted by Arts Council England at the end of October to a recent theft incident involving a storage facility operated by Bristol Museums. Fuller details about the scale of that incident were provided by the museum in mid December, at the time a police appeal was launched, following a museum-led audit. The museum holds human remains, however the department is not aware of any human remains being amongst the items stolen.

Museums in England operate independently from the government, and subscribe to ethical codes produced by the sector, and so it is for the museum’s leadership team to ensure the proper care of human remains, with policies kept under review. DCMS’ Guidance for the Care of Human Remains in Museums covers the curation, care and display of human remains in museums, and recommends both the active management and monitoring of human remains storage, and adherence to suitable standards of security, access management and environmental conditions.

DCMS was alerted by Arts Council England at the end of October to a recent theft incident involving a storage facility operated by Bristol Museums. Fuller details about the scale of that incident were provided by the museum in mid December, at the time a police appeal was launched, following a museum-led audit. The museum holds human remains, however the department is not aware of any human remains being amongst the items stolen.

Museums in England operate independently from the government, and subscribe to ethical codes produced by the sector, and so it is for the museum’s leadership team to ensure the proper care of human remains, with policies kept under review. DCMS’ Guidance for the Care of Human Remains in Museums covers the curation, care and display of human remains in museums, and recommends both the active management and monitoring of human remains storage, and adherence to suitable standards of security, access management and environmental conditions.

DCMS was alerted by Arts Council England at the end of October to a recent theft incident involving a storage facility operated by Bristol Museums. Fuller details about the scale of that incident were provided by the museum in mid December, at the time a police appeal was launched, following a museum-led audit. The museum holds human remains, however the department is not aware of any human remains being amongst the items stolen.

Museums in England operate independently from the government, and subscribe to ethical codes produced by the sector, and so it is for the museum’s leadership team to ensure the proper care of human remains, with policies kept under review. DCMS’ Guidance for the Care of Human Remains in Museums covers the curation, care and display of human remains in museums, and recommends both the active management and monitoring of human remains storage, and adherence to suitable standards of security, access management and environmental conditions.

The Department and NHS England are currently working at pace to develop plans on how best to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan. I will be able to say more about our timelines for that work in the near future.

We will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative and end of life care services to ensure that services reduce variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.

Children’s palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. To support ICBs in this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and a service specification for children and young people.  The statutory guidance states that ICBs, including the NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB, must work to ensure that there is sufficient provision of palliative care and end of life care services to meet the needs of their local populations.

We are providing £26 million of revenue funding for children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. Jessie May Children’s Hospice in Bristol has received £182,000 from this funding. We are also committing £80 million for children’s and young people’s hospices over the next three financial years, giving them stability to plan ahead and focus on what matters most, caring for their patients.

I refer the hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 78811 on 15 October 2025.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.

On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce waiting times for all customers across Great Britain.

Further information on these actions and progress of DVSA’s plan to reduce driving test waiting times, which was announced in December 2024, can be found on GOV.UK.

On 15 July, DVSA launched a new recruitment campaign for the Bristol area. DVSA is looking to recruit two additional driving examiners (DE) at Kingwood, up to 10 additional DEs in Avonmouth and two additional DEs in Weston-Super-Mare.

Further vacancies in other sites in the surrounding area such as Taunton and Chippenham, will also be advertised in DVSA’s following recruitment campaigns shortly.