Written questions by Mohamed.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will condemn President Trump’s statement on moving Palestinians in Gaza to neighbouring Arab states.

As the Foreign Secretary has said, for the people of Gaza, so many of whom have lost lives, homes or loved ones, the last 14 months of conflict have been a living nightmare. The UK is clear that Palestinian civilians must be permitted to return to their communities and rebuild. There must be no forcible transfer of Gazans from or within Gaza, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip. We would oppose any effort to move Palestinians in Gaza to neighbouring Arab states against their will.We have always been clear that an immediate ceasefire is just the first step towards a lasting solution to this crisis. The US played an integral role in negotiating the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, alongside Qatar and Egypt, and the Prime Minister reiterated this in his call with President Trump on 26 January. The UK has begun convening partners, and is prepared to help lead efforts, to ensure coordinated international support for Palestinian-led security, governance, recovery, and reconstruction in Gaza.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether it is his policy to oppose efforts to move Palestinians in Gaza to neighbouring Arab states.

As the Foreign Secretary has said, for the people of Gaza, so many of whom have lost lives, homes or loved ones, the last 14 months of conflict have been a living nightmare. The UK is clear that Palestinian civilians must be permitted to return to their communities and rebuild. There must be no forcible transfer of Gazans from or within Gaza, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip. We would oppose any effort to move Palestinians in Gaza to neighbouring Arab states against their will.We have always been clear that an immediate ceasefire is just the first step towards a lasting solution to this crisis. The US played an integral role in negotiating the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, alongside Qatar and Egypt, and the Prime Minister reiterated this in his call with President Trump on 26 January. The UK has begun convening partners, and is prepared to help lead efforts, to ensure coordinated international support for Palestinian-led security, governance, recovery, and reconstruction in Gaza.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of free travel for carers on (a) improving access to essential services and (b) promoting inclusivity for (i) disabled people and (ii) people with chronic illnesses.

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations, such as extending the eligibility criteria, would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability. An assessment has not been made of the potential impact of free travel for carers, however, local authorities in England have the power to go beyond their statutory obligations under the ENCTS and offer additional discretionary concessions, such as offering companion passes for those travelling with someone eligible for the ENCTS.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including Band 2 NHS workers in pay progression policies.

As part of the 2023 Agenda for Change pay deal between the Government, employers, and trade unions, there was a mutual agreement to uplift the value of the bottom pay point of band two to the same value as the top pay point, and this position was ratified by the NHS Staff Council.Any further changes to the pay structure will be for the NHS Staff Council to ratify or agree to, as part of any future negotiations.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing carers to accompany those they care for to travel free of charge on public transport.

The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations, such as extending the eligibility criteria, would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability. An assessment has not been made of the potential impact of free travel for carers, however, local authorities in England have the power to go beyond their statutory obligations under the ENCTS and offer additional discretionary concessions, such as offering companion passes for those travelling with someone eligible for the ENCTS.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his planned timetable is to publish the Government's new human rights strategy.

On 10 December 2024, the Foreign Secretary and Lord Collins, Minister for Human Rights, set out their five priorities for promoting and protecting human rights, rule of law and democratic governance: 1) defending civic space; 2) upholding the rule of law; 3) championing equal rights for all; 4) supporting accountable, effective, inclusive institutions; and 5) responding to global challenges, including climate, conflict and technology by prioritising human rights and governance principles. Lord Collins's speech was published on gov.uk on 11 December [https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/human-rights-day-2024-lord-collins-speech]. This government is now focused on operationalising this strategic approach.

What his planned timetable is for publishing the Maternity and Neonatal Estates Review.

NHS England will publish the findings of the National Health Service maternity and neonatal estates survey, which examined compliance against the current standards for estates, including the requirements of neonatal parental accommodation. The Government’s response to the House of Lords Pre-term Birth Inquiry committed to publishing the survey in early 2025, and the ambition remains to publish it as soon as possible.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to enforce the ban on peat burning in England.

Defra takes any allegations of breaches of The Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) Regulations 2021 seriously and has developed a robust triage and assessment process with the support of Natural England and Defra’s Counter Fraud and Investigations (CFI).Natural England's Moorland Change Map demonstrates a significant reduction in burning and cutting activities on England's moorlands since the implementation of the Regulations. Though there have been isolated instances of non-compliance, resulting in two successful prosecutions, the overwhelming majority of landowners in England are adhering to these regulations.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in West Papua.

The UK recognises there are significant challenges in the region, including human rights concerns, sporadic violence, and the security situation in some areas. The UK regularly raises our concerns, both with the Indonesian Embassy in London and directly with the government in Jakarta. Most recently, I visited Indonesia in January 2025 and raised the human rights situation in Papua with both the Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigrations and corrections.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Pakistani counterpart on transnational repression.

The UK strongly supports individuals' rights to expression without censorship, intimidation or unnecessary restriction, both in the UK and overseas. During my visit to Pakistan in November, I raised the importance of upholding civil and political rights with senior Ministers, including the Minister for Human Rights and Interior Minister. We will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to respect these fundamental freedoms, underlining that any human rights violations should be fully investigated in line with international human rights law.

Whether her Department considers Afghanistan to be a safe country for asylum returns.

Our assessment of the general situation in Afghanistan is set out in the relevant country policy and information notes, which are available on the GOV.UK website.All asylum and human rights claims from Afghan nationals are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations.

What recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on a UK-EU youth mobility scheme.

The Government set out clear priorities for the reset with the EU in the manifesto. There are no plans for a Youth Mobility Scheme.

How many asylum claims from Afghans were refused in 2024.

The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on initial decisions on asylum claims by nationality is published in table Asy_D02 the ‘Asylum applications, initial decisions and resettlement detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbooks.The latest data relates to the year ending September 2024. Data for October to December 2024 will be published on 27 February 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Government to crack down on waste incinerators with stricter standards for new builds, published on 30 December 2024, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the new local and environmental conditions to apply to all future incinerators.

Over the last 14 years, England has seen recycling rates stall, meaning too much waste is dealt with through incineration or thrown in landfill. Under new plans, published alongside Defra’s Residual Waste Infrastructure Capacity Note, the government makes clear it will only back new waste infrastructure projects if they meet strict local and environmental conditions. Projects will need to maximise efficiency and support the delivery of economic growth, net zero and the move to a circular economy. We will be bringing forward planning reforms so that planning authorities consider these conditions in future applications. Those developing energy recovery facilities (at all stages in the process) are encouraged to consider forecast changes to future capacity, demand, and the Government's circular economy opportunities, in light of the evidence published in the Capacity Note.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has plans to review the maximum penalties for committing wildlife offences.

Defra has no current plans to review the maximum penalties for committing wildlife offences.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is negotiating a new UK-Egypt Association Agreement.

The UK and Egypt are not negotiating a new Association Agreement. The UK and Egypt have a strong bilateral trade relationship under the existing UK-Egypt Association Agreement. There are multiple mechanisms contained in the Agreement which will allow the UK and Egypt to enhance their overall trading relationship, as well as commitments to consider further liberalisation and provision for Ministerial meetings.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a single social tariff for water bills.

The Government is committed to taking action to address water poverty and help vulnerable customers including older people. All water companies have measures in place for people who struggle to pay for their water and wastewater services, including measures such as WaterSure, social tariffs, payment breaks and holidays, and debt management support. We expect all companies to make sure households are aware of the measures available to them and do everything they can to support all customers who are vulnerable. Government is also improving protections for customers, with new and increased compensation for water companies to pay to customers and businesses in the event of issues like water supply outages, sewer flooding or low water pressure. Furthermore, we expect companies to hold themselves accountable for their public commitment to end water poverty by 2030 and will work with the sector to ensure appropriate measures are taken to deliver this.

When she plans to bring forward legislation to make all hate crime an aggravated offence.

This Government is determined to tackle all forms of hate crime. We have committed to changing hate crime legislation to bring parity of protection for LGBT+ and disabled people under the aggravated offences and we are currently considering how best to implement this.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for how many evacuations to the UK of Palestinians in Gaza with visas that are valid for more than six months his Department has sought permission from the Israeli authorities since 7 October 2023.

The UK Government has helped 505 people to leave Gaza since October 2023. 306 are British nationals and their Palestinian dependants; 38 are Palestinian nationals who qualified for assistance under the extended eligibility criteria for Gaza published on 14 December 2023. Israeli exit clearance was sought and received in each of those cases. The extended eligibility criteria are published on FCDO Travel Advice and provide for the UK Government to try to support the exit of Palestinian nationals who have a spouse, partner or a child aged 17 or under living in the UK; and who hold valid permission to enter or remain in the UK for longer than 6 months. Border crossings out of Gaza have been closed to civilians since Israel took control of Rafah crossing in May 2024. Nevertheless, the FCDO has helped 21 people to leave Gaza, mostly children, since October 2024.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for how many medical evacuations to the UK of Palestinians in Gaza who are non-British nationals his Department has sought permission from the Israeli authorities since 7 October 2023.

We regularly press Israel at senior levels to re-open safe, regular medical evacuation routes, and to protect healthcare facilities and staff. It is unacceptable that north Gaza now has no functioning hospitals and that medical personnel are being detained without justification.Our support to UK-Med has treated over 300,000 patients in Gaza and we recently provided £1m, delivered through WHO, to support medically evacuated Palestinians in Egypt. We are keeping our policy under constant review to ensure the UK does everything we can to support sick and wounded Palestinian civilians.