Written questions by Easton.

Whether he plans to take steps to support the Northern Ireland Executive to meet their net zero obligations.

Collaboration between the UK Government and Devolved Governments is essential to accelerate Net Zero and deliver the Clean Energy Superpower Mission. The Government is working closely with governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to help work towards delivery of our respective climate targets and carbon budgets and Ministers from this department and the Devolved Governments met on 17 October in Edinburgh to discuss this.

What additional steps he plans to take to support households to move toward using (a) solar power and (b) renewable energy.

The Government will work with the private sector to radically increase the deployment of onshore wind, solar and offshore wind by 2030. Changes to permitted development rights rules will mean more homeowners and businesses will be able to install solar panels on their roofs without going through the planning system. The Government is working to support household renewables through community benefits, energy efficiency schemes and the Smart Export Guarantee.

What recent discussions she has had with the Metropolitan Police on the policing of public demonstrations relating to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

The Home Secretary is in regular contact with the Metropolitan Police Service on a range of issues, including public order.The management of demonstrations is an operational matter for the police, who are independent from government.

What can be done to address the shortage and delays obtaining ADHD medications in North Down constituency.

The Department monitors and manages medicine supply at a national level so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand. Information for the North Down constituency is a matter for the devolved government in Northern Ireland.The Department has been working hard with industry, the devolved administrations, and NHS England to help resolve the supply issues with some attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medicines, which are affecting the United Kingdom and other countries around the world. As a result of intensive work, some issues have been resolved, and all strengths of lisdexamfetamine, atomoxetine capsules, and guanfacine prolonged-release tablets are now available.We are continuing to work to resolve supply issues, where they remain, for methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets. We are engaging with all suppliers of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets to assess the challenges faced and their actions to address them. We are also directing suppliers to secure additional stocks, expedite deliveries where possible, and review plans to further build capacity to support continued growth in demand for the short and long-term. We anticipate intermittent regional supply disruptions to continue, and we expect supply to improve in the UK from October 2024 onwards.In parallel, the Department has worked with specialist clinicians, including those within the National Health Service, to develop management advice for NHS clinicians to consider prescribing available alternative brands of methylphenidate prolonged release tablets or available alternative ADHD medicines. We would expect ADHD service providers and specialists to follow our guidance, which includes offering rapid response to primary care teams seeking urgent advice or opinions for the management of patients, including those known to be at a higher risk of adverse impact because of these shortages.To aid ADHD service providers and prescribers further we have widely disseminated our communications and continually update a list of currently available and unavailable ADHD products on the Specialist Pharmacy Service website, helping ensure that those involved in the prescribing and dispensing of ADHD medications can make informed decisions with patients.

What can be done to reduce waiting times for patients referred for ADHD assessments in North Down constituency.

As health is a devolved matter, each administration of the United Kingdom takes its own decisions on the provision of assessments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of rejoining the Erasmus+ programme.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.Following their meeting in Brussels on 2 October, the President of the European Commission and my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister have agreed to strengthen the relationship between the EU and UK, putting it on a more solid, stable footing. The government will now work with the EU to identify areas where it can strengthen co-operation for mutual benefit, such as the economy, energy, security and resilience.The government recognises and supports the benefits of collaborating with its international partners on education. The department is working with the higher education sector to ensure our world leading universities continue to attract outstanding students from around the world and support our economy. However, we have no plans for rejoining the Erasmus+ Programme.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he will maintain levels of spending under the agriculture budget; and what steps he is taking to ensure that changes in the level of that budget support nature recovery.

The farming budget beyond this year will be part of the Government’s spending review. The Chancellor will set out the Government’s spending plans on 30 October alongside the Budget. The Government is committed to championing farmers while protecting the environment. We said we would provide stability for farmers and we are delivering on this commitment. We will optimise Environmental Land Management schemes so they produce the right outcomes for all farmers - such as small, grassland, upland and tenanted farms - while delivering food security and nature recovery in a just and equitable way.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the UK's commitments under the United Nations Biodiversity Conference are met ahead of COP16; and what steps his Department is taking to help stop global biodiversity loss.

The Government is committed to delivering for nature, and taking action to meet our Environment Act targets to restore and protect our natural world. We are working towards concluding the review of the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) by the end of the year. We will publish a summary of findings in early 2025, to be followed by publication of a revised EIP in spring 2025. This will play a role in framing how we will meet our domestic and international targets to help us significantly improve the natural environment in England. The four nations of the UK and the relevant UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies worked together to submit our National Targets to the Convention on Biological Diversity on 1 August, committing us to meeting all 23 of the Global Biodiversity Framework targets at home. We will publish the full UK National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan in due course, detailing further delivery plans and future ambitions.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the UK meets its 2030 nature recovery targets; and what steps he is taking to measure progress against those targets.

We know Britain’s nature is in crisis. The State of Nature Report 2023 states that of species found in England, 13% are at risk of extinction from Great Britain. This Government is committed to delivering the species abundance, species extinction and habitat creation and restoration targets set under the Environment Act in England. We have wasted no time in launching a rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) to ensure it fully supports our mission to recover nature. We will publish a summary of findings in early 2025, to be followed by publication of a revised EIP in Spring 2025. The species abundance target indicator measures progress against our species abundance targets and in recent years the declines have shown potential signs of levelling off. We recognise that more needs to be done to put nature firmly on the road to recovery. This is why we have announced a review to transform our water system and clean up our rivers, lakes and seas; and introduced a new deal for farmers to boost food security, restore nature and support economic growth.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the State of Nature Partnership report entitled State of Nature Report 2023, published in September 2023, what steps he plans to take to (a) prevent further biodiversity loss and (b) support long-term biodiversity recovery.

We know Britain’s nature is in crisis. The State of Nature Report 2023 states that of species found in England, 13% are at risk of extinction from Great Britain. This Government is committed to delivering the species abundance, species extinction and habitat creation and restoration targets set under the Environment Act in England. We have wasted no time in launching a rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) to ensure it fully supports our mission to recover nature. We will publish a summary of findings in early 2025, to be followed by publication of a revised EIP in Spring 2025. The species abundance target indicator measures progress against our species abundance targets and in recent years the declines have shown potential signs of levelling off. We recognise that more needs to be done to put nature firmly on the road to recovery. This is why we have announced a review to transform our water system and clean up our rivers, lakes and seas; and introduced a new deal for farmers to boost food security, restore nature and support economic growth.

What steps his Department is taking to (a) increase access to and (b) improve prostate cancer (i) diagnosis and (ii) treatment, in the context of disparities in early detection rates across different socio-economic groups; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of conducting more proactive screenings for high-risk individuals.

The Department has invested £16 million in the TRANSFORM trial which seeks to find ways to diagnose prostate cancer as early as possible. This trial will compare the most promising tests to look for prostate cancer in men that do not have symptoms, and aims to address disparities in early detection rates across different groups.We are also working with NHS England to support the National Health Service in meeting the Faster Diagnosis Standard for cancer to be diagnosed or ruled out within 28 days from an urgent suspected cancer referral. This includes introducing best practice timed pathways for prostate cancer to streamline diagnostic pathways and speed up diagnoses.To improve treatment, NHS England has funded 10 clinical audits, including on prostate cancer. Using routine data collected on patients diagnosed with cancer in an NHS setting, the audit will look at what is being done well, where it’s being done well, and what needs to be done better. This will seek to reduce unwarranted variation in treatment and reduce inequalities across different groups.The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) is already undertaking an evidence review into prostate cancer screening and will report within the UK NCS’s three-year work plan. The evidence review includes modelling the clinical cost effectiveness of several approaches to prostate cancer screening, including targeted and proactive screening aimed at groups of people identified as being at higher than average risk.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential implications for its policies of the (a) recent sentencing to death on charges of blasphemy of Shaughta Karan in Pakistan and (b) possible violations of (i) freedom of religion or belief and (ii) other human rights in that country.

Pakistan is a FCDO human rights priority country. We work to protect and promote human rights in Pakistan through our diplomatic engagement and programme funding. This includes regularly raising our opposition to the death penalty and concerns about the misuse of blasphemy laws, both in principle and in relation to specific cases. I underlined the importance of promoting religious tolerance and harmony with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister Azam Tarar on the 4 September.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions officials in his Department have had with their counterparts in Eritrea on (a) Christians imprisoned and (b) possible violations of (i) freedom of religion or belief and (ii) other human rights in that country; and what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to help prevent unwarranted arrests in Eritrea.

We consistently raise the need to improve the human rights situation with the Eritrean Government. We advocate for national service reform and the end of arbitrary detentions, including detentions based on religion or belief. Eritrea is a priority country in the FCDO Annual Human Rights Report and we support the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Eritrea, voting in favour of his mandate renewal in July 2024. As we have stated at the Human Rights Council, all those who have been unjustly incarcerated must be released.

What estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the public inquiry into the murder of Patrick Finucane.

As outlined in my Oral Statement of 11 September 2024, I have considered the likely costs and impact on the public finances. It is the Government’s expectation that the inquiry will - while doing everything that is required to discharge the State’s human rights obligations - avoid unnecessary costs given all the previous reviews and investigations, and the large amount of information and material that is already in the public domain.

Whether he plans to take steps with Cabinet colleagues to provide (a) financial and (b) other support for Harland and Wolff’s Belfast shipyard.

Following a comprehensive assessment of the company’s financial profile and the criteria set out in UK Government risk policies, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade confirmed in a Written Ministerial Statement on 22 July that the UK Government had decided not to proceed with the provision of an Export Development Guarantee to Harland and Wolff. This was not an easy decision, but we concluded that the market is best placed to resolve these commercial matters. Government funding would not necessarily secure our objectives, and there is a risk that taxpayer money would be lost. We want to see an outcome for Harland and Wolff that delivers shipbuilding and fabrication in Northern Ireland and protects jobs, and we encourage all parties to engage with trade unions before further decisions are made.

Communities and Local Government, when she plans to bring forward the Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill; what recent estimate she has made of when the provisions of the Leasehold and Commonhold Reform Bill will be implemented; and what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help support leaseholders with short leases to obtain mortgages.

As outlined in the King’s Speech, the Government will act quickly to provide homeowners with greater rights, powers, and protections over their homes by implementing the provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024. This includes a new valuation scheme that leaseholders must follow to calculate how much they should pay to enfranchise and includes measures such as removing the requirement to pay marriage value, capping the treatment of ground rents at 0.1% of the freehold value in the calculation, and prescribing rates for the calculation. A small number of provisions came into force on 24 July, two months after Royal Assent, relating to rentcharge arrears, building safety legal costs and the work of professional insolvency practitioners.The Government will further reform the leasehold system by enacting remaining Law Commission recommendations relating to enfranchisement and the Right to Manage, tackle unregulated and unaffordable ground rents, and removing the disproportionate and draconian threat of forfeiture. We will also reinvigorate commonhold through a comprehensive new legal framework and ban the sale of new leasehold flats so commonhold becomes the default tenure.The Government has made clear it intends to publish draft legislation on leasehold and commonhold reform in this session so that it may be subject to broad consultation and additional parliamentary scrutiny.

With reference to the consultation entitled Modernising support for independent living: the health and disability green paper, published on 29 April 2024, what her policy is on the use of (a) cash payments and (b) vouchers to people in receipt of the Personal Independence Payment; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of replacing cash payments with vouchers on disabled people.

The consultation entitled Modernising Support for Independent Living: the health and disability green paper ran for 12 weeks and closed on Monday 22 July. We received over 16,000 responses, demonstrating the depth of feeling about this important policy area. The consultation explored a range of policy proposals developed by the previous Government, including options for alternatives to cash support. We will be considering our own plans for social security in due course. As we develop proposals, we will consider the potential impacts of reform on disabled people. This government is committed to championing the rights of disabled people and people with health conditions, and to the principle of working with disabled people so that their views and voices are at the heart of all that we do.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Prime Minister has had recent discussions with his international counterparts on efforts to help end the conflict in Ukraine.

The Prime Minister recently discussed Ukraine during his visits to Germany, France, Ireland and Italy, and we are in constant contact with the Government of Ukraine. The Prime Minister recently hosted President Zelenskyy in Downing Street, where they discussed the President's victory plan. The Government's support for Ukraine is ironclad. The UK has now committed £12.8 billion in military, humanitarian and economic support. Ukraine has been clear that a just peace must respect Ukraine's territorial integrity and the UN Charter.

What steps his Department is taking with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to help ensure the maintenance of the graves of British servicemen in Simon’s Town, South Africa.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) maintain 185 graves, mostly of the fallen from the two World Wars at Dido Valley Cemetery, and (on behalf of the Ministry of Defence) 41 graves from the Anglo-Boer War at the Seaforth Cemetery in Simon’s Town, South Africa. Maintenance includes ensuring that headstones and memorials are kept clean and in good condition through repair of weather or other damage, and that the surrounding gardens are also in keeping with CWGC standards. Further detail can be found at https://www.cwgc.org/our-work/caring-for-our-sites/.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of raising the personal tax allowance to £15,000.

The previous government announced the Personal Allowance would be maintained at its current level of £12,570 until April 2028. The government must ensure the tax system supports strong public finances. Sound fiscal policy is key to economic stability and, ultimately, growth, which is vital to keeping taxes as low as possible whilst continuing to deliver excellent public services.