Written questions by Jogee.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the activities of the Russian government in sub-Saharan Africa on (a) her Department's objectives and (b) the UK's international role.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 26 February 2025 to Question 30979.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has provided support to the Jamaican diaspora in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.

I refer the Hon. Member to my statement to the House on 4 November 2025, Official Report, vol. 774, col. 33WS to 35WS.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

I refer the Hon Member to the statement on the Middle East made to the House by the Foreign Secretary on 18 November.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking with the Southern African Development Community to help tackle violence against women and girls.

Tackling violence against women and girls is a key priority for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and forms a regular and essential part of our engagement with counterparts across the world, including in the Southern African Development Community.

What steps he has taken to support young people in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire into employment, education or training.

The Government understands the negative effects of unemployment can be particularly pronounced for young people and can have longstanding implications on their future earnings potential and life chances.That is why at Budget the Government announced that £820 million has been committed to the Youth Guarantee over the next three years to support all young people aged 16 to 24 to earn or learn. This includes the previously announced Jobs Guarantee, which will guaranteeing six-months of paid work for every eligible 18-21 year old who has been on Universal Credit and looking for work for 18 months. Under the Jobs Guarantee we will fund 100% of the wages for the six months (up to 25hrs/week at the relevant minimum wage), as well as the additional employment costs and a budget for wrap around support. Further details on the Youth Guarantee will be announced shortly.In Newcastle-under-Lyme the DWP Employer and Partnership team is actively involved with the Newcastle Employment and Skills Group (NSEG). They work closely with stakeholders such as Aspire Housing, Keele University, and prominent employers at Lymedale Business Park, including TK Maxx, ASDA, and Radwell International. Youth Employment Programmes, such as Positive Directions and We Mean Business, offer fully funded 5-week courses for 16–24-year-olds who are not engaged in employment, education, or training. Additionally, our outreach efforts through probation services and police provide tailored employment pathways, mentoring, and reintegration support for young people at risk of offending.In Staffordshire, our DWP Schools Advisers have supported over 3,600 young people across in the 2024/25 academic year. This includes 220 students in Newcastle-under-Lyme at Orme Academy, St Peter's Academy, and Abbey Hill Special School. Young people have access to training in Digital Marketing, Cyber Security, Web Design, and Emergency First Aid for Mental Health through The Training Initiative.

What steps he is taking to increase (a) skills and (b) employment support for people in (i) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (ii) Staffordshire who are in receipt of sickness benefits.

We have a team of colleagues that offer tailored support to people with health conditions in Newcastle-under-Lyme and the Shires District through our Pathways to Work programme. We set out our plan for the “Pathways to Work Guarantee” in our Pathways to Work Green Paper. Our dedicated team is committed to understanding and addressing the unique needs of these individuals. They spend extra time listening to their concerns, triaging, and directing them to the appropriate support for their complex needs, skills and employability. Our efforts are closely linked with partners, including the Local Authority-led Supported Employment programme Connect to Work, and we collaborate extensively with broader health, employment and skills support networks. This integrated approach ensures that we provide holistic and effective support to those who need it most. Newcastle-under-Lyme is part of the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Connect to Work delivery area. Staffordshire County Council is the Lead Authority for Connect to Work in the region. We have agreed their delivery plan and have approved a £19 million grant to fund this programme for approximately 5,250 participants by the end of the decade. The programme has recently opened, and local constituents can find out more through the Staffordshire Jobs and Careers page: www.staffsjobscareers.com/. The “Pathways to Work Guarantee” is backed by £1 billion a year of new, additional funding by the end of the decade. We anticipate the guarantee, once fully rolled out, will include: a support conversation to identify next steps, one-to-one caseworker support, periodic engagement, and an offer of specialist long-term work health and skills support. The NHS 10 Year Health Plan, published in July, stated the Government’s intention to break down barriers to opportunity by delivering the holistic support that people need to access and thrive in employment by ensuring a better health service for everyone, regardless of condition or service area. It outlines how the neighbourhood health service will join up support from across the work, health and skills systems to help address the multiple complex challenges that often stop people finding and staying in work.

What steps he plans to take to tackle rising temperatures.

Tackling climate change is at the heart of this Government’s clean energy superpower mission.On 29 October we published the Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan which sets out in detail how the UK will continue to reduce emissions in a way that lowers bills and secures good jobs, in line with the Climate Change Act 2008. With the UK contributing 1% of global emissions, collaboration with other countries is critical. That is why my Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister led the UK’s COP30 delegation and the UK pushed for the transition away from fossil fuels and deforestation that is needed to keep our goal of limiting global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees in reach.

How many civil servants in his Department, beyond the Bill team, are working on the a) passage and b) preparation for the implementation of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

Bill officials are currently working to fulfil the Government’s duty to the statute book, including providing technical workability advice on the bill. No officials are working on the implementation of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life Act).We are unable to quantify how many civil servants in the Department outside the bill team have provided input to the bill process. Officials in the bill team have sought input from the teams with relevant expertise on specific issues on an ad-hoc basis. None of these civil servants are working full-time on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent engagement her Department has had with international partners on the 2025 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 29 October to question 83638.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the strength of the horticulture sector.

The Government is steadfastly committed to our excellent horticulture sector and the vital role that it plays in strengthening food security by ensuring a reliable and sustainable supply of fresh home-grown produce. In 2024, the value of UK-grown fruit and vegetables was over £3 billion increasing by 4.5% and 2.1% respectively with the overall fresh fruit and vegetable market valued at approximately £11 billion including exports worth around £170 million contributing significantly to the UK economy. With the closure of the Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme, future support for the sector is being considered alongside Defra’s work to simplify and rationalise agricultural grant funding, ensuring that grants deliver the most benefit for food security and value for money for the taxpayer. Wider Government support for the sector includes a five-year extension of the Seasonal Worker visa route, providing greater stability for businesses, and a continued easement on import checks for medium-risk fruit and vegetables ahead of the new SPS agreement with the EU.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps she has taken to replace the Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme.

The Government is steadfastly committed to our excellent horticulture sector and the vital role that it plays in strengthening food security by ensuring a reliable and sustainable supply of fresh home-grown produce. In 2024, the value of UK-grown fruit and vegetables was over £3 billion increasing by 4.5% and 2.1% respectively with the overall fresh fruit and vegetable market valued at approximately £11 billion including exports worth around £170 million contributing significantly to the UK economy. With the closure of the Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme, future support for the sector is being considered alongside Defra’s work to simplify and rationalise agricultural grant funding, ensuring that grants deliver the most benefit for food security and value for money for the taxpayer. Wider Government support for the sector includes a five-year extension of the Seasonal Worker visa route, providing greater stability for businesses, and a continued easement on import checks for medium-risk fruit and vegetables ahead of the new SPS agreement with the EU.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the adequacy of food security.

The UK has a resilient food supply chain and is equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption. Defra regularly meets with Cabinet Office, other Government Departments, Devolved Governments on resilience planning, including food security.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the resilience of the food system.

The UK has a resilient food supply chain and is equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption. The United Kingdom Food Security Report (UKFSR) sets out an analysis of statistical data relating to food security in the UK, fulfilling the duty in the Agriculture Act 2020 to present a report on food security to Parliament at least once every three years. The first UKFSR was produced in 2021. The most recent UKFSR was published on 11th December 2024. The UKFSR examines past, current, and future trends relevant to food security to present the best available understanding of food security at the time of publication.

Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to improve standards in local politics.

We published the government’s response to the Strengthening the Standards and Conduct Framework for Local Authorities in England consultation on 11 November. The response, informed by the consultation and wider sector engagement, sets out our ambition to introduce a clearer and consistently applied conduct system that will help local elected members to hold themselves and their colleagues to account in meeting the high standards and conduct their roles demand and the public have a right to expect.We intend to legislate on local government standards reforms when parliamentary time allows.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps she has taken to protect food security.

The Food Sector is one of the UK's 13 Critical National Infrastructure sectors. Defra and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are joint Lead Government Departments (LGDs), with Defra leading on supply and the FSA on food safety. We work closely with the Cabinet Office and other LGDs ensuring food supply is fully incorporated as part of emergency preparedness, including consideration of dependencies on other sectors.  Defra works with industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains.

If she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the access to a police front counter for people (a) living, (b) working and (c) learning in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Decisions regarding the police estate, including the availability of front counters at police stations, are a matter for Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners, or equivalents. They are best placed to make these decisions based on their knowledge of local need and their experience.A key part of the Government’s Safer Streets Mission is focused on restoring neighbourhood policing, and rebuilding trust and confidence in policing. As such, all forces including Staffordshire, now have named and contactable neighbourhood officers dedicated to addressing the issues that matter most to their communities. We have also provided £200 million in FY 2025/26 to support the first steps of delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel across England and Wales by the end of the Parliament. This increase in neighbourhood policing, alongside the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, will strengthen the connections between the police and the communities they serve.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to phase out animal testing.

On 11th November 2025 the government published “Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods” which outlines the steps we will take to achieve this. (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/replacing-animals-in-science-strategy/replacing-animals-in-science-a-strategy-to-support-the-development-validation-and-uptake-of-alternative-methods ).

What steps she is taking to improve public access to police officers in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.

Decisions regarding the police estate, including the availability of front counters at police stations, are a matter for Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners, or equivalents. They are best placed to make these decisions based on their knowledge of local need and their experience.A key part of the Government’s Safer Streets Mission is focused on restoring neighbourhood policing, and rebuilding trust and confidence in policing. As such, all forces including Staffordshire, now have named and contactable neighbourhood officers dedicated to addressing the issues that matter most to their communities. We have also provided £200 million in FY 2025/26 to support the first steps of delivering 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel across England and Wales by the end of the Parliament. This increase in neighbourhood policing, alongside the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, will strengthen the connections between the police and the communities they serve.

Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions she has had with the Internet Watch Foundation.

Protecting children online is a priority for this department. The Internet Watch Foundation does vital work to tackle child sexual abuse and DSIT and other departments engage closely with them on their critical work.I regularly meet with online safety stakeholders and remain committed to continuing this incredibly important relationship. Details of ministerial meetings are published quarterly on GOV.UK.

Innovation and Technology, where the UK Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods will be located.

On 11th November 2025 the government published “Replacing animals in science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods” (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/replacing-animals-in-science-strategy/replacing-animals-in-science-a-strategy-to-support-the-development-validation-and-uptake-of-alternative-methods) which sets out our plans to establish a UK Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (UKCVAM). The location of and timeline for the creation of the UKCVAM is under development and the Government will update on this in due course.