Written questions by Jogee.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the Middle East on the situation in Lebanon.

The Foreign Secretary spoke to Lebanese Prime Minister Mikati on 28 September, expressing deep concern over rising tensions and civilian casualties in Lebanon. They discussed the need for a negotiated solution to restore stability and security across the Blue Line. On 01 October, the Foreign Secretary spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Aragchi, warning against actions that could push the region further towards the brink. The Foreign Secretary also spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Katz on 02 October, and with the Foreign Ministers of Egypt, Iraq and Oman on 07 October. On 09 October, the Foreign Secretary visited leaders in Bahrain and Jordan, key regional partners for the UK, where he reiterated the UK's concern over the risk of escalation and miscalculation in the region and again called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many UK citizens were in Lebanon on 1 October 2024.

As of 7 October, 2100 British nationals have registered their presence in Lebanon. Any remaining British nationals who want to leave are urged to register their presence immediately. Based on our contacts so far, we anticipate that only a fraction of those registered want to leave due to their strong ties in the country. The UK has helped over 430 people leave on four UK government charter flights taking British nationals out of Lebanon. Due to reduced demand, no further charter flights are planned, but we will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for (a) his policies and (b) the Commonwealth of the change in political leadership in Gabon on 30 August 2024.

The UK has reassessed its relationship with Gabon following the coup in August 2023. The UK condemns military takeovers and, alongside other Commonwealth member states, welcomed the decision to partially suspend Gabon from the Commonwealth. However, we recognise the progress the transitional government is making on the timeline towards the restoration of civilian rule. The UK is ready to work with the Commonwealth to support Gabon's return to democracy and to uphold Commonwealth values.

If she will meet the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme to discuss the adequacy of the (a) bus network and (b) existing transport infrastructure in Madeley.

The Government is committed to delivering better buses for passengers throughout England, and I would be happy to meet to discuss local bus services in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the steps being taken to support the long-term sustainability of research funding in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (b) the United Kingdom.

The Secretary of State and the Chancellor of the Exchequer have regular discussions on a range of issues.The Government is determined to work with the sector to transition to sustainable research funding models. Universities will also need to take their own steps to ensure they are working as efficiently as possible and, where necessary, make difficult choices.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the impact of the G20 Common Framework for Debt Treatments on delivering debt relief to lower income countries.

Tackling unsustainable debt is a key development priority for this government. The G20 Common Framework, created in November 2020, brought the Paris Club and G20 together to coordinate debt restructurings for the first time. The Common Framework has delivered agreements in Chad in 2022, and among bilateral creditors and bondholders in both Zambia and Ghana in 2024. However, we acknowledge that the process took too long. We are continuing to work with international partners to strengthen the Common Framework and ensure it delivers for all participating countries.

How many people in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency are in receipt of the Warm Home Discount.

The most recent published statistics on Warm Home Discount can be found here: Warm Home Discount statistics, 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Table 5 shows that 4,992 households in Newcastle-under-Lyme received Warm Home Discount in the 2023-24 scheme year, making up approximately 12.1% of the overall number of households in the constituency (boundary as defined prior to the 2024 General Election).

What steps she plans to take to ensure that people in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency are paid the HS2 compensation that they are owed.

The Government is committed to ensuring that anyone owed compensation, whether in Newcastle-under-Lyme or anywhere along the HS2 route, should receive it as soon as possible once it falls due. I will continue to impress upon HS2 Ltd the necessity of working closely with claimants and their agents to ensure that claims are properly evidenced and then paid promptly.

Whether he has had recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the future of the Warm Home Discount scheme, in the context of the upcoming Autumn Budget 2024.

This winter’s scheme was launched today, 14 October, and we expect it again to support over three million households. We are exploring options to improve the design of the scheme beyond the current regulations which expire in 2026.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the World Health Organisation about levels of starvation in Sudan.

The conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces has created a humanitarian disaster in Sudan with over 9 million people facing emergency or famine conditions. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is carrying out vital work in Sudan, including the treatment of severely malnourished children. The UK's Official Development Assistance (ODA) this financial year is £97 million, £84 million of which is on humanitarian assistance. This funding is going to partners including key UN agencies such as the World Food Programme (WFP) to provide assorted food commodities to those most in need; and UNICEF to provide life-saving food assistance particularly in hard-to reach areas in Sudan, including nutrition, water and hygiene services for 500,000 children under 5.

What assessment his Department has made of the implications for his policies of rates of late diagnosis of prostate cancer; and what steps his Department is taking to tackle those rates.

No such assessment has been made. We recognise that late diagnosis of cancers, including prostate cancer, can impact treatment options, reduce a patient’s chances of survival, and potentially increase the cost of effective treatments. NHS England is taking steps to raise awareness of prostate cancer, where there are opportunities to do so. For example, NHS England partners with Cancer Alliances, charities, and local representatives to reach people through projects in the heart of their communities. On 8 January 2024, NHS England also relaunched the Help Us Help You campaign for cancer, designed to increase earlier diagnosis of cancer by reducing barriers to seeking earlier help, as well as increasing body vigilance and knowledge of key red flag symptoms.Screening for prostate cancer is currently not recommended by the UK National Screening Committees. This is because of the inaccuracy of the current best test, the Prostate Specific Antigen. The UK National Screening Committee is currently undertaking an evidence review for prostate cancer screening, and plans to report within its three-year work plan. The evidence review includes modelling of several approaches to prostate cancer screening, which includes different potential ways of screening the whole population from 40 years of age onwards, and targeted screening aimed at groups of people identified as being at higher than average risk, such as black men or men with a family history of cancer.In addition, we are working with Prostate Cancer UK to launch the TRANSFORM trial. The £42 million nationwide screening study will compare the most promising tests to look for prostate cancer in men that do not have any symptoms.

How many times she has (a) met and (b) spoken to the Police, Crime and Fire Commissioner of Staffordshire since her appointment.

Meetings are regularly published in a quarterly transparency returns.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to ensure universities receive an adequate level of research funding.

University research is funded by UKRI through the dual support approach which balances strategic institutional research funding allocated by Research England with grant funding awarded by Research Councils for individuals and programmes within Higher Education Providers.The allocations for 24-25 Research England budget have confirmed the level of quality related (QR) research funding as set out in SR21 allocations and the maintenance of the balance of dual support.Government also encourages universities to collaborate with businesses and charitable research funders both through QR funds that reward this, and through knowledge exchange programmes to develop partnerships with these other funders.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of access to defibrillators in (a) Newcastle-under -Lyme and (b) Staffordshire.

No assessment has been made on the adequacy of access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in Newcastle-under -Lyme or Staffordshire. The Government is committed to improving access to AEDs in public spaces, and reducing inequalities in access to these life saving devices. We have made a further £500,000 available from August 2024 to fulfil existing applications to the Department’s Community AED Fund. The criteria specified for the original grant continues to apply, and will go to applications for AEDs in areas where there is the greatest need, including in areas of high footfall, hot spots for cardiac arrest, and areas that already have low access to AEDs.

What steps his Department is taking, alongside the Transform Trial to (a) speed up and (b) improve the efficiency of diagnostic pathways in prostate cancer in the short term.

The Government is committed to getting the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster, so that more patients survive with better outcomes, including for those with prostate cancer. The Department is supporting the NHS in taking steps to speed up and improve the efficiency of diagnostic pathways.Since October 2023, the NHS has implemented the updated cancer waiting time standards to ensure patients receive timely diagnosis and treatment. The update included the removal the two week wait standard which only ensured patients were seen by a clinician within two weeks, without a timeline of further investigations towards receiving a result. The two-week wait standard was replaced with the faster diagnosis standard (FDS) which ensures a patient receives their cancer diagnosis or has cancer ruled out within 28 days of an urgent referral.To achieve the FDS, NHS England has streamlined cancer pathways, including implementing a best-timed prostate cancer diagnostic pathway so that those suspected of prostate cancer receive a multi-parametric MRI scan first, which ensures only those men most at-risk undergo an invasive biopsy. Best practice timed pathways support the on-going improvement effort to shorten diagnosis pathways, reduce variation, improve experience of care, and meet the FDS.Furthermore, the NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time programme published guidance in April 2024 to support the implementation of good practice in management of prostate cancer, which includes ensuring the diagnostic pathways for prostate cancer were implemented from primary care setting to secondary care presentation.

What immediate term steps his Department is in addition to the Transform Trial to (a) speed up and (b) improve the efficiency of diagnostic pathways in prostate cancer.

The Government is committed to getting the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster, so that more patients survive with better outcomes, including for those with prostate cancer. The Department is supporting the NHS in taking steps to speed up and improve the efficiency of diagnostic pathways.Since October 2023, the NHS has implemented the updated cancer waiting time standards to ensure patients receive timely diagnosis and treatment. The update included the removal the two week wait standard which only ensured patients were seen by a clinician within two weeks, without a timeline of further investigations towards receiving a result. The two-week wait standard was replaced with the faster diagnosis standard (FDS) which ensures a patient receives their cancer diagnosis or has cancer ruled out within 28 days of an urgent referral.To achieve the FDS, NHS England has streamlined cancer pathways, including implementing a best-timed prostate cancer diagnostic pathway so that those suspected of prostate cancer receive a multi-parametric MRI scan first, which ensures only those men most at-risk undergo an invasive biopsy. Best practice timed pathways support the on-going improvement effort to shorten diagnosis pathways, reduce variation, improve experience of care, and meet the FDS.Furthermore, the NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time programme published guidance in April 2024 to support the implementation of good practice in management of prostate cancer, which includes ensuring the diagnostic pathways for prostate cancer were implemented from primary care setting to secondary care presentation.

Innovation and Technology, whether he has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the role of research and development investment in promoting economic growth.

The Secretary of State and the Chancellor of the Exchequer have regular discussions on a range of issues. Kickstarting economic growth is a key mission of this Government, with research and development (R&D) investment playing a central role in this.

Whether she plans to extend free ­breakfast clubs in primary schools in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire for pupils in (i) special schools and (ii) alternative provision.

The government is clear on the impact that breakfast clubs can have to support children to arrive at school ready to learn, which is why we are committed to introducing free breakfast clubs in every school with primary aged pupils.From April 2025, free breakfast clubs will be available in up to 750 early adopter schools, as part of a ‘test and learn’ phase, in advance of a national roll out.The new breakfast club offer, once rolled out nationally, will be available to every state funded school with primary aged children. It will both provide parents with more affordable childcare choices, supporting families with the cost of living, and support school attendance and attainment, ensuring children are set-up for the day and ready to learn.

Media and Sport, if she will visit (a) the New Vic Theatre and (b) the Philip Astley Centre in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

I will ask my officials to keep both the New Vic Theatre and the Philip Astley Centre in mind when planning future visits.

What steps he is taking to improve service life for serving personnel from Newcastle-under-Lyme and their families.

This Government is committed to improving service life for our Service personnel and the families who support them. We have already awarded the largest Armed Forces pay increase in 22 years, ensuring that the starting Armed Forces’ salary is in line with the National Living Wage. We are working to establish a new Armed Forces Commissioner as an independent champion for our Service personnel to raise issues which impact on service life, drive up standards and deliver the homes our Service families deserve, and modernising and refining our recruitment policies and processes to attract, and then retain the best possible talent, including direct-entry cyber recruits.