Written questions by Jogee.

When he plans to appoint country-specific trade envoys.

The House will be notified of any Trade Envoy appointments in due course.

What steps he is taking to help increase the (a) volume and (b) value of trade between the UK and Botswana.

The Department for Business and Trade, and UK Export Finance, has officials throughout our Embassy network in Africa to support businesses where there are commercial opportunities. Additionally, the Developing Countries Trading Scheme, which entered into force in June 2023, makes it simpler and more beneficial for African countries (including Tanzania and Malawi) to export goods to the UK. The UK-Southern African Customs Union and Mozambique (SACUM) and UK-Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) are development-focused free trade agreements that underpin UK goods trade with Botswana, Namibia (SACUM) and Zimbabwe (ESA).

Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to improve outcomes in the conveyancing process.

The government recognises that the current home buying and selling process in England is slow, costly and stressful, and that conveyancing is one reason for this.Digitalisation can make the home buying and selling process more transparent and efficient for the conveyancing sector.His Majesty's Land Registry (HMLR) have already made progress on this issue through their Local Land Charges programme which will assist in providing quicker, more accurate responses to property search requests, potentially taking weeks off transaction times.

Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of using digitisation to speed up the conveyancing process.

The government recognises that the current home buying and selling process in England is slow, costly and stressful, and that conveyancing is one reason for this.Digitalisation can make the home buying and selling process more transparent and efficient for the conveyancing sector.His Majesty's Land Registry (HMLR) have already made progress on this issue through their Local Land Charges programme which will assist in providing quicker, more accurate responses to property search requests, potentially taking weeks off transaction times.

Communities and Local Government, what discussions she has had with the Land Registry on digitising the conveyancing process.

The government recognises that the current home buying and selling process in England is slow, costly and stressful, and that conveyancing is one reason for this.Digitalisation can make the home buying and selling process more transparent and efficient for the conveyancing sector.His Majesty's Land Registry (HMLR) have already made progress on this issue through their Local Land Charges programme which will assist in providing quicker, more accurate responses to property search requests, potentially taking weeks off transaction times.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the support given to people who have experienced a (a) severe adverse reaction and (b) bereavement after receiving a vaccine on levels of vaccine hesitancy.

The United Kingdom has one of the most extensive immunisation programmes in the world, with uptake rates amongst the highest globally.No specific assessment has been made of the impact of the support given to people who have experienced a severe adverse reaction or bereavement after receiving a vaccine on levels of vaccine hesitancy. However, to assess public confidence in vaccinations programmes more generally, the UK Health Security Agency undertakes research to understand how knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes towards immunisation, vaccine safety, and disease severity influence vaccine uptake. And to ensure that those being offered vaccines are aware of the potential benefits and side effects of vaccines, public-facing information is provided in multiple languages and accessible formats, with training standards provided for healthcare professionals who will support the consent process.The Government remains committed to addressing challenges around vaccine confidence and to improving vaccination uptake rates to fully protect the public from preventable diseases.

If he will make an assessment of the the adequacy of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme.

The Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) continues to process a significant number of claims, with 11,251 claims related to COVID-19, adult flu, and other diseases processed between 1 November 2021 and 13 December 2024.The Department is working with the NHS Business Services Authority, the administrators of the scheme, to take steps to improve the VDPS by modernising operations, improving claimants’ experiences, and processing claims at a faster rate.Ministers have also met with the families of those who have suffered harm following COVID-19 vaccination, many of whom raised the need for reform of the VDPS. Whilst any changes to the VDPS may need to be a cross-Government decision, ministers have agreed to look closely at the issues raised.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a home education register.

The government is committed to the introduction of statutory children not in school registers, maintained by each local authority in England. These registers will include those children who are being educated at home, and parents will have a duty to provide information about their children and where and how they are receiving their education. These measures are part of the recently announced Children’s Wellbeing and School Bill, which was introduced in Parliament on Tuesday 17 December. As part of that Bill, we are also taking steps to require parents of some of our most vulnerable children to obtain local authority consent before they can move to home education. This will apply to children who are subject to ongoing enquiries under section 47 of the Children Act 2004, children who have a child protection plan, and children who are attending a special school. Where those children are already being educated at home, local authorities will be able to consider whether that is in their best interests and to assess the suitability of their home learning environment. If that leads to a determination that home education is not in the child’s best interests, the local authority will be able to issue a school attendance order.Local authorities currently maintain voluntary registers of home educated children in their area. This will be made a legal requirement and authorities also required to share data from their registers with my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education. This will allow us to develop a stronger understanding of home education numbers and drivers at local and national levels and determine policy responses where home education has been chosen for reasons other than the provision of suitable education to a child.

What recent steps she has taken to help ensure the effective prosecution of (a) wildlife, (b) heritage, (c) rural and (d) waste crime in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency.

This Government is committed to working with the police and other partners to address the blight of rural crime – broadly classified as any crime and anti-social behaviour occurring in rural areas. We are introducing tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, stronger neighbourhood policing, and robust laws to prevent farm theft and fly-tippers.We are recruiting 13,000 more neighbourhood police and police community support officers across England and Wales.The National Police Chiefs’ Council Wildlife and Rural Crime Strategy 2022-2025 provides a framework through which policing, and partner bodies, can work together to tackle the most prevalent threats and emerging issues which predominantly affect rural communities. Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecutors work closely with local police officers to tackle farm equipment theft and other rural crime, alongside officers from the National Wildlife Crime Unit to tackle wildlife offences. Fly-tipping can be investigated by police but is usually prosecuted by the local authority rather than the CPS.The CPS provides legal guidance on Wildlife, Rural and Heritage Crime which is available to all its prosecutors, to assist them in dealing with these cases. That guidance is available here: Wildlife, Rural and Heritage Crime | The Crown Prosecution Service. The CPS also provides specialist training to ensure that its prosecutors have the expert knowledge needed to prosecute these crimes.West Midlands CPS, within which Newcastle-under-Lyme falls, has a dedicated prosecutor to lead on wildlife, heritage, and rural crime.

What the average staff to student ratio was in secondary schools in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire in each year since 2010.

Information on the school workforce, including the pupil to adult and pupil to teacher ratios at national, regional, local authority and individual school level, is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.In the 2023/24 academic year, which is the latest data available, the ratio of pupils to teachers (qualified and unqualified) was 16:8 in state-funded secondary schools in England, the same as the previous year.The attached table provides the pupil to adult ratio and the pupil to teacher ratio for state-funded secondary schools in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency, Staffordshire local authority and England for the 2010/11 to 2023/24 academic years.

Innovation and Technology, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of an international strategy for science and innovation.

Science and innovation are fundamentally international endeavours, and the Government has an open-arms approach to international science. The Government’s strategy is to strengthen ties with international partners and rebuild the UK’s reputation as a strong, reliable partner, while harnessing the power of science and technology for global benefit. This includes making the most of the UK’s association to Horizon Europe, as well as continuing to build wider international partnerships including through the International Science Partnerships Fund. The Government is also fully committed to attracting and retaining the very best scientists, innovators and entrepreneurs globally.

Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the role of science and innovation in the defence sector.

Cutting-edge science, innovation and technology are central to modern defence and UK national security. DSIT is working closely with MOD to input into its Strategic Defence Review, to help MOD leverage the strengths of the UK S&T ecosystem to achieve its ambitions. This includes investments in future research breakthroughs and innovation to grow our technology sector, which also supports future defence needs. DSIT’s teams regularly engage with cross-Government colleagues including Defence on the opportunities and risks of new technologies and are integrated into the relevant board structures for defence-related R&D. DSIT's Secretary of State speaks frequently to cabinet colleagues on issues of mutual importance.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of science and innovation on regional inequalities.

Increasing productivity right across the UK is fundamental to our mission to kickstart economic growth. We know businesses grow faster because of science and innovation. In the 6 years after receiving their first R&D grant funding, the average business increases employment by 21% and turnover by 23%. The Government will continue to support regional growth through the industrial strategy. As set out in the Industrial Strategy Green Paper, research, development, and innovation are essential to developing the UK’s growth-driving sectors. The Government will explore how to build on existing place-based initiatives to support high-potential clusters.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of research and development on the Government's growth agenda.

R&D is fundamental to achieving the Government’s mission of kickstarting economic growth and we know businesses grow faster because of science and innovation. In the 6 years after receiving their first R&D grant funding, employment increases in the average business by 21% and turnover grows by 23%. That is why the government is investing record amounts into R&D, with total government investment in R&D rising to a record £20.4 billion in 2025/26. This investment also supports our research base and underpins the innovations and technological advancements that will help the UK boost productivity and create high-paid jobs. We are ensuring R&D supports the government’s five missions, via such vehicles as the R&D Missions Programme. Through this, R&D is at the heart of our agenda to boost growth and improve lives by maximising the potential of science and technology.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with the devolved Administrations on (a) science and innovation and (b) research and development.

The Secretary of State met with each of his ministerial counterparts in the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive.These discussions have been highly constructive, in keeping with the Prime Minister’s reset in relations with the Devolved Governments, and have revealed a number of areas of shared interest and scope for collaboration across the science, innovation and research portfolio.The Secretary of State has also undertaken official visits to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, including to Queen’s University Belfast and the Smart Nano NI consortium in September.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of closing the gender pay gap on women who (a) live, (b) learn and (c) work in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency.

According to the most recent ONS assessment, the median gender pay gap for all UK employees is 13.1% in April 2024. We are committed to going further and faster to close the gender pay gap. There are a number of measures within our landmark Employment Rights Bill which will support us in this ambition, and which will have a positive impact on women across the country.In relation to my Hon. Friend’s constituency, the most recent ONS assessment states that the median gender pay gap for all employees who live in the constituency in April 2024 is 9.4%, down from 19.8 last year*, and significantly lower than the national figure.*ONS recommend comparing GPG figures over the longer term. ONS publish GPG data back to 1997 however, the home parliamentary constituency table was published later. Given the small number of people in any parliamentary constituency included in the GPG calculations, ONS also produces a rating of the quality of this data. 2004 was the earliest that Newcastle-under-Lyme's GPG data was published and considered of "reasonable quality."

Whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of a cross-Government strategy to close the gender pay gap.

According to the most recent ONS assessment, the median gender pay gap for all UK employees is 13.1% in April 2024. We are committed to going further and faster to close the gender pay gap. There are a number of measures within our landmark Employment Rights Bill which will support us in this ambition, and which will have a positive impact on women across the country.In relation to my Hon. Friend’s constituency, the most recent ONS assessment states that the median gender pay gap for all employees who live in the constituency in April 2024 is 9.4%, down from 19.8 last year*, and significantly lower than the national figure.*ONS recommend comparing GPG figures over the longer term. ONS publish GPG data back to 1997 however, the home parliamentary constituency table was published later. Given the small number of people in any parliamentary constituency included in the GPG calculations, ONS also produces a rating of the quality of this data. 2004 was the earliest that Newcastle-under-Lyme's GPG data was published and considered of "reasonable quality."

Innovation and Technology, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of science and innovation on job creation in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Science and innovation are vital to our mission to kickstart economic growth and create jobs in every part of the country.For example, Research England invested £5 million into the HyDEX programme, which Keele University leads on behalf of the Midlands-based Energy Research Accelerator. This is helping build a Midlands hydrogen economy by working with established national businesses and accelerating local SMEs’ work.Through the Strength in Places Fund, UKRI invested £18.3 million in the “Midlands Advanced Ceramics for Industry 4.0” programme led by Staffordshire company Lucideon. This led the Applied Materials Research, Innovation, & Commercialisation Company to be established.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of adopting the guidelines entitled WHO global air quality guidelines: particulate matter (‎PM2.5 and PM10)‎, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide, published on 22 September 2021.

The Government is committed to meeting current legal targets for air quality, including the targets recently set under the Environment Act 2021, and will review the policy measures needed to achieve them. We will deliver a comprehensive Clean Air Strategy, including a series of interventions to reduce emissions so that everyone’s exposure to air pollution is reduced. The World Health Organisation (WHO) air quality guidelines are intended to inform the setting of air quality standards and are not ready-made targets for direct adoption as they do not consider achievability or individual countries’ circumstances. However, we will consider WHO guidelines as part of an evidence led process when considering future targets.

If he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the implementation of existing free trade agreements.

I refer my Hon. Friend to my response to Question 6963 on 5 November 2024: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-10-04/6963