Written questions by Jogee.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Sport England in supporting grassroots sport in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.

The Government believes that opportunities to play sport and get physically active should be available to everyone, including children and young people. Everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity. Every bit of physical activity counts and the greatest public health benefit is enabling people, currently less active, to move more and lead more active lives. This can help to reduce the risk of a range of chronic diseases, in line with the Government’s aims to prevent ill health as set out in the recent NHS 10 Year Plan.The Secretary of State and I engage regularly with the leadership of Sport England, including at quarterly meetings with the Chairs and CEOs of all DCMS public bodies. A large part of Sport England’s work focuses on bringing the health and sports sectors together at community level, including their place partnerships work which is working in a targeted way with local areas to understand and overcome the specific barriers in their communities. Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire is one of Sport England’s place partnerships.

What steps she is taking to support care leavers in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency.

The department is committed to ensuring that, regardless of where they live, care leavers have access to stable housing, health services, support to build lifelong loving relationships, and opportunities in education, employment, and training.All local authorities are required to publish a local offer for care leavers. This outlines both the statutory support they are entitled to and any discretionary services the authority provides. To strengthen this, the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will make the Staying Close programme a national offer for eligible care leavers. This will require local authorities to assess whether care leavers need support to find and maintain suitable accommodation, and access services related to health, wellbeing, relationships, education, and employment, and provide that support where their welfare requires it.The Bill will also enhance the local offer by strengthening requirements around accommodation and promoting joint working between leaving care and housing teams.Local housing authorities currently owe duties to those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. To better support care leavers, the Bill removes the intentional homelessness test for eligible individuals, ensuring they receive the housing support they need without unnecessary barriers.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the number of children living in temporary accommodation in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.

This Government has inherited record levels of homelessness, and we recognise the cost pressures this has put on councils. That is why we have increased funding for homelessness services in 2025/26 by £233 million to nearly £1 billion, alongside a local government finance settlement for 2025/26 which makes available over £69bn for local government, a 6.8% cash terms increase on 2024/25. The Homelessness Prevention Grant is allocated to councils across England based on local homelessness pressures. In 2025/26 the Homelessness Prevention Grant provided £451,899 to Newcastle-under-Lyme, £538,531 to East Staffordshire, £219,530 to South Staffordshire and £240,569 to Staffordshire Moorlands. In 2025/26 LAs are required to spend 49% of their funding on prevention, relief and staffing activity. This has been introduced, to support areas maintain their homelessness prevention and relief services. Allocations for the Homelessness Prevention Grant can be found here: Homelessness Prevention Grant allocations: 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK

Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to increase the use of British made bricks in house building projects using government finance in whole or in part.

The government is working with industry to ensure the housebuilding sector has access to the construction materials needed to build 1.5 million safe and decent homes in this parliament. We expect suppliers to increase capacity to meet demand, and we have seen deliveries of bricks in England, Scotland and Wales increase by 10% in the year to April 2025. Added to that, construction materials prices are stable, rising only 1% between January 2024 and January 2025, far below the rate of inflation for the wider UK economy. We are engaging with the wider sector to support the use of British-made bricks, but there are currently no plans to mandate their use.

Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to increase funding for homelessness prevention services in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.

This Government has inherited record levels of homelessness, and we recognise the cost pressures this has put on councils. That is why we have increased funding for homelessness services in 2025/26 by £233 million to nearly £1 billion, alongside a local government finance settlement for 2025/26 which makes available over £69bn for local government, a 6.8% cash terms increase on 2024/25. The Homelessness Prevention Grant is allocated to councils across England based on local homelessness pressures. In 2025/26 the Homelessness Prevention Grant provided £451,899 to Newcastle-under-Lyme, £538,531 to East Staffordshire, £219,530 to South Staffordshire and £240,569 to Staffordshire Moorlands. In 2025/26 LAs are required to spend 49% of their funding on prevention, relief and staffing activity. This has been introduced, to support areas maintain their homelessness prevention and relief services. Allocations for the Homelessness Prevention Grant can be found here: Homelessness Prevention Grant allocations: 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK

Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans take to ensure that communities are (a) notified of and (b) consulted on planning applications in their areas.

Planning law requires local planning authorities to publicise planning applications through various means, including site notices, advertisements in local newspapers, and publishing information on their website. We are exploring ways to enhance community engagement through the greater digitalisation of the planning system. This will help remove barriers to participation in the planning application process, including among those in representative community groups.

What recent estimate he has made of the number of people with dementia in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme, (b) Staffordshire and (c) England in the next five years.

No specific estimate has been made for the number of people with dementia in the next five years.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with local government representatives on mandating the use of British made bricks in house building programmes.

The government is working with industry to ensure the housebuilding sector has access to the construction materials needed to build 1.5 million safe and decent homes in this parliament. We expect suppliers to increase capacity to meet demand, and we have seen deliveries of bricks in England, Scotland and Wales increase by 10% in the year to April 2025. Added to that, construction materials prices are stable, rising only 1% between January 2024 and January 2025, far below the rate of inflation for the wider UK economy. We are engaging with the wider sector to support the use of British-made bricks, but there are currently no plans to mandate their use.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he has taken to secure a two state solution to the (a) humanitarian, (b) political and (c) security crisis in the Middle East since 22 July 2025.

I refer my Hon Friend to the statement made to the House by the former Foreign Secretary on 1 September.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Arab League on the (a) political, (b) economic and (c) humanitarian situation in the West Bank.

The previous Foreign Secretary discussed the situation in the West Bank, including the economic situation, with Prime Minister Mustafa in April, and the current Foreign Secretary did likewise with President Abbas on 8 September.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the leadership of the Palestinian Authority on the (a) political, (b) economic and (c) humanitarian situation in the West Bank.

The previous Foreign Secretary discussed the situation in the West Bank, including the economic situation, with Prime Minister Mustafa in April, and the current Foreign Secretary did likewise with President Abbas on 8 September.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his European counterparts on the (a) political, (b) economic and (c) humanitarian situation in the West Bank.

The previous Foreign Secretary discussed the situation in the West Bank, including the economic situation, with Prime Minister Mustafa in April, and the current Foreign Secretary did likewise with President Abbas on 8 September.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the leadership of the Palestinian Authority on the (a) political, (b) economic and (c) humanitarian situation in the West Bank.

The previous Foreign Secretary discussed the situation in the West Bank, including the economic situation, with Prime Minister Mustafa in April, and the current Foreign Secretary did likewise with President Abbas on 8 September.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, (a) how many Heads of Missions representing their countries in the United Kingdom have been summoned to the Foreign Office since 2019 and (b) which country they represent.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) does not keep a central record of which Heads of Mission accredited to the UK have been summoned.

Representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will take steps to ensure that British made bricks are used to make repairs to the Parliamentary estate.

Parliament sources materials that are appropriate to the specific building, taking into account its listed status and any relevant heritage considerations. All sourcing decisions are guided by the building’s unique requirements, including material compatibility, conservation guidance, and availability. These decisions are informed by best conservation practices to ensure the closest possible match for repair materials. A good example is the recent brick repair of the Norman Shaw North façade, as part of the Norman Shaw North Refurbishment Project. Traditional handmade clay bricks were used, and the replacement bricks were sourced from the original British clay quarry.The Restoration and Renewal Programme (R&R) is the longer-term programme of work to restore and renew the Palace of Westminster and work is underway to develop options for how to deliver the works. Regardless of the delivery approach, the R&R Programme will be one of the UK's biggest restoration projects. The legislation that created the R&R framework states that the Programme must have regard to “the need to ensure that opportunities to secure economic or other benefits of the Parliamentary building works are available in all areas of the United Kingdom.”

What steps her Department is taking to reduce the gap between the lowest and highest achievers in GCSE english performance.

On 5 February 2025, the government announced a £2 million investment to drive high and rising standards in reading and writing. We know that supporting pupils to build strong foundations in reading and writing will give them the tools to succeed in key stage 4 and beyond. Therefore, from September, building on the success of phonics, teachers will receive additional training to help children progress from the early stages of phonics in reception and year 1 through to reading fluently by the time they leave primary school. This will be delivered through the English Hubs programme.Building on this, secondary schools will get funded support to foster a strong whole-school reading culture, and in January 2026 they will get access to the Unlocking Reading programme, a continuing professional development package delivered by FFT Education on behalf of the department, aimed at boosting reading through evidence-based strategies.Ensuring pupils build strong foundations in the early years and key stage 1, and offering further guidance and support on best-practice in the teaching of reading and writing in key stage 2 and 3, will prepare pupils for GCSEs in key stage 4.

What steps her Department is taking to reduce the gap between the lowest and highest achievers in GCSE science performance.

High and rising school standards are central to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and the key to strengthening outcomes for all children and young people. The best way of helping schools to support lower attainers and drive standards in GCSE science performance is to ensure high quality science teaching at all levels, by helping schools to recruit and retain good teachers.For those training to teach in the 2025/26 academic year, there is a bursary worth £29,000 tax-free or a scholarship worth £31,000 tax-free to train to teach high priority subjects, such as chemistry and physics. There is also a £26,000 tax-free bursary for biology.For the 2025/26 academic year, the department is also offering a targeted retention incentive, worth up to £6,000 after tax, for physics and chemistry teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged areas. This will support recruitment and retention of specialist teachers in these subjects and in the schools and areas that need them most.The department also funds the Subject Knowledge for Physics Teaching programme, a series of blended learning courses with modules available each term to support non-specialist teachers of key stage 3 and 4 physics to enhance their subject knowledge.

What consideration his Department gives to the use of British made bricks when repairs are carried out to the Government estate.

The Government Property Agency aims to utilise and support British businesses where applicable. Whilst there is no specific consideration towards bricks made in Britain, we aim to utilise our supply chain to support local business where possible. Furthermore, this Government announced on 26 June 2025 a new 10-week consultation entitled Public Procurement - Growing British industry, jobs and skills. These reforms aim to go further to strengthen the UK’s economic resilience and support British businesses. By strategically leveraging our annual public procurement spend, we can protect our supply chains, open up new opportunities for local small businesses and social enterprises, create good local jobs, and deliver greater value for taxpayers.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with African Union counterparts on the political situation in Togo.

The UK engages with the African Union (AU) on a range of regional issues, including political developments in West Africa.While the Foreign Secretary has not held direct discussions with African Union counterparts specifically on Togo, UK officials regularly exchange views with AU representatives on governance, stability, and democracy across the region.The UK works alongside the AU in supporting democratic outcomes in Africa through high-quality AU election observation and AU engagement during political transitions.Through our partnership with the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA), we continue to support the AU to train and deploy election observers, with regular assessment of its effectiveness.The UK and France maintain regular diplomatic engagement on regional developments in West Africa, including Togo. Officials from our Embassy in Abidjan recently met French counterparts in Togo to exchange views on the political situation.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the French Government on the political situation in Togo.

The UK engages with the African Union (AU) on a range of regional issues, including political developments in West Africa.While the Foreign Secretary has not held direct discussions with African Union counterparts specifically on Togo, UK officials regularly exchange views with AU representatives on governance, stability, and democracy across the region.The UK works alongside the AU in supporting democratic outcomes in Africa through high-quality AU election observation and AU engagement during political transitions.Through our partnership with the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA), we continue to support the AU to train and deploy election observers, with regular assessment of its effectiveness.The UK and France maintain regular diplomatic engagement on regional developments in West Africa, including Togo. Officials from our Embassy in Abidjan recently met French counterparts in Togo to exchange views on the political situation.