Written questions by Ballinger.

Innovation and Technology, what steps the Government is taking to prevent AI tools from directing UK consumers to black market gambling websites.

Awaiting answer.

Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with social media and streaming platforms about preventing gambling promotions from reaching under-18s.

Awaiting answer.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to prevent gambling operators from using content marketing to reach children and young people.

Awaiting answer.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the BBC’s Digbeth development on regional storytelling in the West Midlands.

The Government wants broadcasters to be more ambitious in growing the TV sector outside London and the South East and commissioning content nationwide, and for British storytelling to reflect the full diversity of people, communities and experiences across the UK. As part of Charter Review we are looking at how we can ensure the BBC’s commissioning, decision-making, and budgets truly reflect and deliver for all nations and regions of the UK.The BBC expected to open its Digbeth headquarters in Birmingham in 2027, an example of the positive role the BBC is playing in the West Midlands. This is expected to create over 900 jobs and encourage 200 new creative businesses in the region over the next decade.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that a new BBC Charter provides sustainable and stable funding.

As we consider BBC funding as part of Charter Review, we will look at how we can ensure the funding model is sustainable while also being fair and affordable for households. This will allow the BBC to deliver for all of us, drive growth of the creative industries, nurture talent, create jobs and invest across the whole of the UK. We are looking at a range of options, including how the BBC can operate more efficiently, generate more commercial revenue, and how the licence fee could be reformed. Decisions will be published in due course via the upcoming White Paper.

What assessment she has made of potential shortfalls in funding for service delivery by hospice providers.

Palliative care services are included in the list of services that an integrated care board (ICB) must commission. To support ICBs in meeting this duty, NHS England has published statutory guidance and service specifications. The statutory guidance makes clear that ICBs must work to ensure there is sufficient provision of care services to meet the needs of their local populations, which may include hospice services available within the ICB’s catchment area.Most hospices are charitable, independent organisations which receive some statutory funding for providing National Health Services. The amount of funding each charitable hospice receives varies both within and between ICB areas. This will vary depending on demand in that ICB area but will also be dependent on the totality and type of palliative care and end of life care provision from both NHS and non-NHS services, including charitable hospices, within each ICB area.We recognise the significant challenges facing the hospice sector, which is why we are providing £125 million in capital funding for adult and children’s hospices, to ensure they have the best physical environment for care and to free up other funding for patient care. We are also providing approximately £80 million in revenue funding for children and young people’s hospices over the next three financial years, giving them the stability they need to plan ahead.NHS England continues to work closely with ICBs to support more strategic, data-driven commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services, including those delivered by hospices. In February, NHS England wrote to all ICBs requesting an update on the financial stability of hospices in their footprint as a matter of urgency, and the steps being taken to mitigate risks.We are also considering these as we develop the Palliative Care and End of Life Care Modern Service Framework, which will support strategic commissioning, and help address challenges in access, quality, and sustainability across the sector.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether an event was held within her Department to mark World Afro Day in August 2021.

There is no record of Mr Kotecha being granted a period of unpaid leave during his employment with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). His work on producing the cookbook and running the pudding competition over the course of 2021-22 was carried out in tandem with his preparations to take up a new post at the consulate in Ekaterinburg.The FCDO did not hold any staff events on Sunday 15 August 2021, the day that the Taliban captured Kabul. The event to which Mr Kotecha has referred took place on Wednesday 15 September 2021, a month after the fall of Kabul, and almost three weeks after the UK's final evacuation flight from Afghanistan. It was a lunchtime panel discussion organised by the Civil Service Race Forum panel, and held online for staff networks across Whitehall. The FCDO had no involvement in its organisation, and no FCDO staff were featured on the panel.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Mr Ameer Kotecha was given a leave of absence from her Department to (a) run the Platinum Pudding Competition and (b) write the Platinum Cookbook.

There is no record of Mr Kotecha being granted a period of unpaid leave during his employment with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). His work on producing the cookbook and running the pudding competition over the course of 2021-22 was carried out in tandem with his preparations to take up a new post at the consulate in Ekaterinburg.The FCDO did not hold any staff events on Sunday 15 August 2021, the day that the Taliban captured Kabul. The event to which Mr Kotecha has referred took place on Wednesday 15 September 2021, a month after the fall of Kabul, and almost three weeks after the UK's final evacuation flight from Afghanistan. It was a lunchtime panel discussion organised by the Civil Service Race Forum panel, and held online for staff networks across Whitehall. The FCDO had no involvement in its organisation, and no FCDO staff were featured on the panel.

What steps his Department is taking to provide support for people who are disabled and on benefits when their condition deteriorates; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing an assessment mechanism to allow people to change from Limited Capability for Work to Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity.

Individuals claiming Employment and Support Allowance or the health element of Universal Credit are encouraged to report any changes to their health condition to DWP immediately, whether an improvement or deterioration. If an individual with Limited Capability for Work reports a deterioration or new condition, the mechanism for determining if they have Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity is a Work Capability Assessment (WCA) reassessment. If, at reassessment, they are found to have Limited Capability for Work and Work-related activity and they are entitled to a higher rate of benefit, that rate will be backdated to the date they notified DWP of the change to their condition.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to limit the import and sale of fur produced from unethical practices overseas.

As set out in the Government’s Animal Welfare Strategy, Defra will publish the results of the previous government’s call for evidence on the fur trade and publish and consider carefully the report from our independent expert Animal Welfare Committee on the responsible sourcing of fur. Building on this evidence, Defra will bring together a working group on fur, with involvement from both industry experts and those who support restrictions on the trade in fur, to explore concerns and the different ways in which they could be addressed.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to her Department's press release entitled New international coalition launched to end violence against women and girls globally, published on 2 December 2025, how much and what proportion of that Integrated Security Fund package has been allocated to meet her commitments on tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG); and what assessment her Department has made of the national security and domestic resilience implications of potential changes in international VAWG and gender based violence programming.

The Integrated Security Fund-supported Gender and National Security portfolio has a total budget of £4.85 million in 2025/26, of which approximately £1.6 million (33 per cent) is targeted specifically to tackling Violence against Women and Girls.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes in gender and conflict advisory capacity on the ability of the Integrated Security Fund to mainstream Women, Peace and Security and conflict sensitivity; and who is accountable for delivery of that mainstreaming across portfolio boards.

The Integrated Security Fund-supported Gender and National Security portfolio has a total budget of £4.85 million in 2025/26, of which approximately £1.6 million (33 per cent) is targeted specifically to tackling Violence against Women and Girls.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) value for money of (i) Official Development Assistance allocations to peacekeeping and multilateral commitments and (ii) and bilateral or locally-led conflict prevention and stabilisation programmes in contexts of weak governance.

The Department assesses the effectiveness and value for money of UK-funded projects in the areas mentioned through its business case process, quarterly progress reports, annual reviews and Project Completion Reviews, including checks on financial performance, risk management and delivery against agreed objectives. Programme Responsible Owners within the Department apply the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's Programme Operating Framework to monitor progress, using tools such as risk registers, results frameworks and value-for-money assessments throughout the project lifecycle.

Which organisations will replace Healthwatch Dudley; and how health and social care will be monitored in Dudley borough.

As set out in the Review of patient safety across the health and care landscape report published in July 2025, and in the 10-Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, the statutory functions of local Healthwatch bodies will be transferred to integrated care boards (ICBs) for health, and to local authorities (LAs) for social care.Both ICBs and LAs will be required to demonstrate how they have gathered patient and user feedback, including and how this has fed into their strategic planning.To further ensure that the patient voice is at the heart of planning considerations, as part of their regulatory role, the Care Quality Commission will assess whether every commissioner and provider is listening to the views of local people.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of bringing train leasing companies into public ownership, including to achieve a fair price for leasing rolling stock.

Rolling stock companies own and lease trains and carriages worth billions of pounds. It would not be responsible for the Government to take on the cost of renationalising all the rolling stock at the present time, as there are other urgent pressures on the public purse and we need to focus on wider rail reform. We recognise the value that the private sector can bring, including funding improved trains and infrastructure. But we must secure much better value from the rolling stock market in future – which is why for the first time in over 30 years, the Government is developing a long-term rolling stock and infrastructure strategy. We expect to publish this strategy later in 2026.

If he will set out the basis for determining the funding level of the UK Integrated Security Fund multi-year allocations for (a) conflict prevention and (b) Women, Peace and Security, including the advice and impact assessment she received; and whether it remains her policy to implement conflict prevention programmes.

The Integrated Security Fund (ISF) will narrow its focus towards the UK’s top national security priorities, as set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 10 February 2026. This includes tackling five key threat areas (Russia; Iran & its proxies; threats emanating from the Asia Pacific region; Serious & Organised Crime; and Terrorism) and building UK sovereign capabilities in four other areas (Cyber & Tech, Biosecurity, Counter State & Hybrid Threats and Economic Security). ISF allocations to each of these areas were driven by an assessment of the UK’s most acute national security threats and programmes’ alignment with the ISF’s principles (agility, integration, high risk appetite and catalytic effect). The ISF will also continue to deliver conflict and instability programming, where there is a direct link to UK national security. ISF teams are also expected to continue to mainstream gender throughout their work across the ISF’s priorities, including through projects which focus specifically on gender and social inclusion.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking in the context of the University of Sheffield’s findings that gambling advertisements during the 2022 FIFA World Cup significantly influenced betting behaviour; and what measures she plans to put in place to ensure adequate protections before the 2026 tournament.

We consider a wide range of evidence when making policy and regulatory decisions. This includes consideration of Sheffield University’s recent report on World Cup advertising and its impact on gambling behaviour. All operators advertising in the UK must comply with robust advertising codes. These codes are regularly reviewed and updated. In this context, those include a ban on gambling advertisements during pre-watershed live sports broadcasts lasting from 5 minutes before to 5 minutes after the event itself. The Government recognises that exposure to gambling advertising is an important issue. We continue to consider a wide range of evidence in this space and will work closely with relevant stakeholders to further strengthen protections. This includes our recent announcement of an intention to consult on banning sports sponsorship by unlicensed gambling operators.

What assessment his Department made of the potential impact of the level of conflict prevention on UK national security when determining the of the multi-year level of funding for the UK Integrated Security Fund; and for what reason was the level of prioritisation for conflict prevention so determined.

The Integrated Security Fund (ISF) will narrow its focus towards the UK’s top national security priorities, as set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 10 February 2026. This includes tackling five key threat areas (Russia; Iran & its proxies; threats emanating from the Asia Pacific region; Serious & Organised Crime; and Terrorism) and building UK sovereign capabilities in four other areas (Cyber & Tech, Biosecurity, Counter State & Hybrid Threats and Economic Security). ISF allocations to each of these areas were driven by an assessment of the UK’s most acute national security threats and programmes’ alignment with the ISF’s principles (agility, integration, high risk appetite and catalytic effect). The ISF will also continue to deliver conflict and instability programming, where there is a direct link to UK national security. ISF teams are also expected to continue to mainstream gender throughout their work across the ISF’s priorities, including through projects which focus specifically on gender and social inclusion.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the projected level of loss of UK soft power in the Western Balkans in the next five years.

Last year, the Government invested over £31 million in programmes in the Western Balkans, supporting women and girls, protecting democratic values, and enhancing resilience to hostile state influences, including funding for counter-disinformation and cyber defence support. We will set out details of future funding allocations in the coming months, we continue to be committed to pursuing a wide range of objectives in partnerships across the region focussed on stability, security, and prosperity among other issues.

Whether the UK Integrated Security Fund will deliver programmes through contracting and pre-qualified partners during 2026 to 2029; and whether he plans to amend the UK Integrated Security Fund's procurement and partnership models.

From 2026 to 2029, the Integrated Security Fund (ISF) will continue to deliver programmes through a range of delivery mechanisms, including contracting and prequalified partners where this provides the most effective and agile route to achieving national security outcomes. This includes via the ISF Commercial Framework Agreement, a commercial arrangement with organisations who have been pre-assessed on their capability, thematic expertise, resources and gender and conflict sensitivity. The existing Commercial Framework is due for renewal in 2027 and arrangements for refreshing the framework will be considered in due course.