Written questions by Barros-Curtis.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that humanitarian aid is being received into the Gaza Strip.

The UK continues pushing for safe, unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza, in line with international law. A significant portion of our Financial Year 2024/25 funding has already reached Gaza, including life-saving medical supplies. Some remain prepositioned at border crossings or in regional warehouses due to access constraints. We also announced an additional £7.5 million support package to bolster medical care in Gaza and the region, including further funding for UK-Med, World Health Organization Egypt, and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Occupied Palestinian Territories Humanitarian Fund. On 19 May, the UK issued a joint statement urging Israel to allow full aid resumption and independent access for humanitarian actors.

Whether he plans to close existing loopholes which enable taxi drivers to work cross border.

Responsibility for taxi and private hire vehicle policy is devolved to the Welsh Assembly. It is therefore for the Welsh Government to consider any changes to the regulation of the sector in Wales.

What are the average time is for applications submitted to the Access to Work scheme between 1st November 2024 to 21st May 2025 to be (a) completed and (b) awarded.

The average time taken from an application being submitted to a decision being made for both support being approved and support not approved from November 2024 to April 2025 (May 2025 not available until month end) November 2024 = 75.4 daysDecember 2024 = 77.3 daysJanuary 2025 = 80.3 daysFebruary 2025 = 84.6 daysMarch 2025 = 85.9 daysApril 2025 = 94.2 days Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of including the Six Nations as part of the listed events regime.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring access to sporting events, including the Six Nations, so that they can be enjoyed by a wide audience. However, this must also be balanced with the ability of sports national governing bodies to generate essential broadcast revenue to invest in their sports at all levels.The Six Nations is listed under the Broadcasting Act 1996 Act as a “Group B” protected event, meaning secondary coverage must be offered to free-to-air broadcasters.The Government believes that the current list of events works well and that it strikes an appropriate balance between access to sporting events and allowing sports to maximise broadcasting revenue.I am pleased that Six Nations Rugby have recently agreed a deal to broadcast the Six Nations on free-to-air broadcasters until 2029.

What progress she has made on bringing forward the Conversion Practices Bill to ban conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ people; and whether there is a timeline for its introduction.

This Government’s position is that conversion practices are abuse.Through the development of the draft Conversion Practices Bill, we will deliver on our manifesto commitment to bring forward a full, trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices. My officials and I are working at pace to ensure we get legislation right and protect LGBT individuals from these harmful practices.We are also committed to preserving the freedom for individuals to explore their identity and sexuality, and respecting the important roles of those supporting them.We will publish our draft Bill later this session, as outlined in the King’s Speech.

What service standard the Child Maintenance Service has to respond to (a) complex casework and (b) complaints submitted between 30 August 2024 to 24 January 2025.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) have service standards for all change of circumstances, these are not categorised as complex as there is no specific criteria to meet, each case is considered on its own merit and circumstances of the case. Caseworkers strive to manage all casework within the expected service standard time period. If the caseworker has any concerns about making a discretionary decision in cases with unusual or particularly complex circumstances involved, they have access to policy and procedures or may seek appropriate advice from the Advice and Guidance Team. DWP complaints service standard aim is to contact a customer within 15 working days to tell them of the outcome of their complaint or when they can expect a response if the complaint is complex and will take longer.

What recent progress her Department has made with the (a) Defending Democracy Taskforce and (b) Welsh Government on protecting all levels of democracy from harm.

It is vital that elected representatives and their staff can discharge their duties without threat of intimidation or assault. We have seen wholly unacceptable behaviour, especially during the general election.The Defending Democracy Taskforce is looking ...

What recent progress the Defending Democracy Taskforce has made.

Mr Speaker, it is vital that elected representatives and their staff can discharge their duties without threat of intimidation or assault.We have seen wholly unacceptable behaviour, especially around the general election.The Defending Democracy Taskforce ...

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help increase levels of innovation in Cardiff West constituency.

The Spending Review supports the UK’s R&D ambitions, with total Government investment in R&D rising to a record £20.4 billion in 2025/26This will build on the investments we have already made in the Cardiff region such as £25 million through the S...

What steps she is taking to publicise the need to register for eVisas to replace a Biometric Residence Permit.

An extensive communications campaign is being delivered in support of the transition from physical immigration documents to eVisas, to raise awareness of eVisas, build understanding of how it applies to visa holders and checkers, and encourage them to tak...

What technical support her Department offers to people applying for eVisas to replace their Biometric Residence Permit.

Our Assisted Digital service (https://www.gov.uk/assisted-digital-help-online-applications) is available in the UK to provide support by phone and email to those who need help with IT-related aspects of creating a UKVI account. Customers can also contact ...

How many and what proportion of people eligible for an eVisa to replace their Biometric Residence Permit have not yet applied to do so; and if she will make an estimate of the number of people who wil

During the transition to eVisas, we are closely monitoring the volume of customers who have registered for a UKVI account and the forecast total volume of affected customers. The total volume will be dictated by ongoing approvals under BRP generating rout...