Written questions by Easton.

Whether she will make an assessment of the potential impact of classifying military compensation as income in means tested benefits assessments on veterans; and if she will take steps to ensure that military compensation is exempt from means testing in line with the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant.

The receipt of War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) awards is already fully ignored when calculating eligibility for Universal Credit. The first £10 per week of a War Pension or AFCS award is disregarded in: income-related Employment and Support allowance; income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance; and Income Support. Armed Forces Independence Payments are fully disregarded in these benefits and can also allow the recipient to qualify for an additional disability amount. This contrasts with a benefit like Industrial Injuries Disablement benefit where there is no weekly disregard. Furthermore, these are legacy benefits, in the process of being replaced by Universal Credit, in which War Pensions and AFCS are ignored. By default, the first £10 per week of a War Pension or Armed Forces Compensation Scheme is disregarded in Housing Benefit. Furthermore, a discretionary scheme allows local authorities to fully disregard them. In relation to Pension Credit, the first £10 of any War Pension payments or AFCS award made due to injury or disablement is disregarded. Four additions to the War Disablement Pension are completely disregarded: Constant Attendance Allowance; Mobility Supplement; Severe Disablement Occupational Allowance; and dependency increases for anyone other than the applicant or her/his partner. War Pensions and AFCS awards are a qualifying income for the Savings Credit element of Pension Credit, which is available to those who reached State Pension age before April 2016. Armed Forces Independence Payments are fully disregarded in Pension Credit and can also allow the recipient to qualify for an additional disability amount. There are no plans to change the ways in which War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) awards interact with means tested benefits. Social security in Northern Ireland is a transferred matter. The Department for Communities is responsible for how compensation payments are treated in means-tested benefits in Northern Ireland.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he is having with his Russian counterpart on the release of James Scott Rhys Anderson.

The British Embassy in Moscow requested urgent confirmation of Mr Anderson's detention and location and reminded the Russian Federation of their obligations under International Humanitarian Law, including the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols. Consular officials remain in close contact with Mr Anderson's family to provide assistance.

What steps her Department is taking to help support the parents of (a) twins and (b) other multiple births; if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional maternity pay to those parents; and if she will hold discussions with Twins Trust on steps to support such families.

The DWP wants new mothers to be able to take time away from work in the interests of their own and their baby’s health and wellbeing. That is why maternity pay is primarily a health and safety provision for pregnant working women and is paid for each pregnancy, not in respect of each child. Maternity pay is not and has never been intended to replace a woman's earnings completely nor is it intended to help with the cost of having a baby; rather, it provides a measure of financial security to help pregnant working women to take time off work in the later stages of their pregnancy and in the months following childbirth. There are two types of maternity pay available to pregnant working womenStatutory Maternity Pay paid by employers to, andMaternity Allowance paid by the Department for Work and Pensions to eligible women (including the self-employed and women in employment who are not eligible for SMP). Additional financial support is available depending on individual circumstances, such as Universal Credit and Child Benefit. The Sure Start Maternity Grant (a lump sum payment of £500) may also be available. For more information about benefits and financial support available to pregnant women and their families can be found on www.gov.uk via the Childcare and Parenting link on the home page. In terms of wider support for parents, the Government committed in its manifesto to review parental leave to ensure that it best supports working families. This is an opportunity to engage with stakeholders on this issue. Further details of the review will be announced in due course. It’s worth noting that maternity pay is devolved to Northern Ireland and is therefore governed by its own set of legislation. The responsibility for maternity pay policy in Northern Ireland sits with the Department for Communities.

What steps her Department is taking steps to (a) investigate allegations of (i) bullying, (ii) physical violence, (iii) sexual violence and (iv) suicides in schools and (b) (i) protect children and (ii) uphold their rights under Articles 2 and 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.Schools should be calm, safe and supportive environments which children want to attend, and which support them to learn and thrive. Any form of violence in school is completely unacceptable and should not be tolerated.By law, schools must have a behaviour policy. It is for school leaders to develop and implement behaviour policies that work for their own schools and school community, including measures to prevent all forms of bullying. Any policy must be lawful, proportionate and reasonable, and comply with the school’s duties under the Equality Act 2010, Education and Inspections Act 2006 and Human Rights Act 1998.While the department expects schools to take immediate and robust action if incidents of violence occur, including sexual violence, any decision on how to sanction the pupil or pupils involved is a matter for the school. The department does not investigate individual cases. In the most serious cases, suspensions and permanent exclusion may be necessary to ensure that teachers and pupils are protected from disruption and to maintain safe, calm environments. Should the incident constitute a criminal offence, the school should report it to the police. When a report of child-on-child sexual violence or sexual harassment is made, schools should follow the general safeguarding principles set out in ’Keeping children safe in education’ statutory guidance.

If she will make it her policy to reverse the proposed tax changes to (a) agricultural property relief and (b) business property relief on family-owned (i) farms and (ii) businesses.

The Government set out its policy at Autumn Budget 2024 and that remains the Government’s policy.

If her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of adding a photograph to National Insurance cards issued at the age of 16 to provide photographic identification.

HMRC is responsible for issuing National Insurance Numbers (NINos) to the children of people receiving Child Benefit and Tax-Free Childcare . As a young person approaches age 16, HMRC informs them of their NINo via a letter. Cards have not been sent since 2011. The NINo is an internal reference number to support the administration of tax and social security; not proof of identity.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the (a) Windsor Framework and (b) Northern Ireland Protocol on businesses in North Down constituency; and what steps his Department is taking to help support those businesses.

The Government is committed to the Windsor Framework and to protecting the UK internal market. The Framework guarantees unfettered access for Northern Ireland’s businesses to the UK market on a permanent basis. The Windsor Framework also provides a long-term basis for traders to do business, with over 9,000 firms signed up to the UK Internal Market Scheme and many taking advantage of the support provided by the Trader Support Service. Traders will benefit further when the UK internal market system is implemented in the New Year. The Government will continue to work constructively with stakeholders to ensure that the arrangements set out under the Windsor Framework work well for businesses and people.

What recent discussions he has had with the Post Office on proposed closures.

The Secretary of State and I recently met with the Post Office Chair, Nigel Railton, and discussed his proposals for the future of the company before Mr Railton announced Post Office's Transformation Plan on 13th November. While Post Office has the freedom to make commercial decisions regarding the composition of its network, Government sets the parameters for the Post Office to operate in. The Government protects the branch network by setting minimum access criteria which require 99% of the UK population to be within three miles of their nearest Post Office outlet. The access criteria ensure that however the network changes, services remain within local reach of all citizens.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that businesses in Northern Ireland receive the same rate relief support as their counterparts in other regions of the United Kingdom, including the recent 40% rate relief scheme announced for high street businesses in England.

Business relief support is devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive. The Northern Ireland Executive’s Spending Review settlement for 2025-26 is the largest in real terms of any settlement since devolution.The Northern Ireland Executive is receiving £18.2 billion in 2025-26, including an additional £1.5 billion through the operation of the Barnett formula and £760 million targeted funding, with £670 million resource and £90 million capital, including for the 2024 restoration financial package, historic funding packages, and additional security funding.It is for the Executive to allocate this record funding in a way that delivers effective public services and provides better outcomes for people.

How many animals are held by Government (a) Departments and (b) agencies for research; and what type of animals are held.

The Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain 2023 was published on the 11 September 2024.The statistics provide full details on the number of licensed procedures carried out, the species of animals and the purposes for which the procedures have been undertaken. Information regarding establishment type is not collected as part of the return of procedures data used as this is not an indicator of the type of procedures carried out, and often establishments could be categorised as more than one type.

What happens to dogs held for research purposes by Government (a) Departments and (b) agencies once research has been completed.

The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) provides protections for animals in the UK that are used in scientific procedures.For dogs used in science, the Home Office expects that every opportunity will be taken to re-home animals where it is appropriate to do so (advice note available at: www.gov.uk/guidance/animal-research-technical-advice).

What steps he is taking to (a) help prevent Post Office closures in (i) the United Kingdom and (ii) Bangor, North Down and (b) ensure continued access to (A) postal and (B) banking services in impacted areas.

Government provides an annual £50m Network Subsidy funding to support the delivery of a minimum number of branches and a geographical spread of branches in line with published access criteria. The access criteria ensure that however the network changes, Post Office delivers essential services, including banking and cash services, across all four nations of the UK via its network of 11,500 branches.The Government further understands the importance of face-to-face banking to communities and high streets, and is committed to championing sufficient access for all. We have committed to work closely with banks to roll out at least 350 banking hubs, which will provide individuals and businesses up and down the country with critical cash and banking services.

What steps she is taking to accelerate the rollout of public electric vehicle charge points; and what steps she plans to take to ensure sufficient infrastructure to meet the growing demand for electric vehicles.

The Government is committed to accelerating the roll-out of charging infrastructure so that everyone, no matter where they live or work, can make the transition to an electric vehicle (EV). As of November, there are over 71,000 publicly available charging devices in the UK. The £381 million Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund currently supports local authorities in England to work with industry to transform the availability of EV charging for drivers without off-street parking and will support the installation of tens of thousands of local chargers. The Government also confirmed in the October 2024 Budget that it will continue to support the uptake of EVs by investing over £200 million in 2025/26 to accelerate EV chargepoint rollout.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to increase the (a) affordability and (b) availability of housing for young people.

With regard to the supply of social and affordable housing, I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 11383 on 31 October 2024.To support first-time buyers, the Government has committed to introducing a permanent, comprehensive mortgage guarantee scheme and to giving first-time buyers the first chance to buy homes.The Renters' Rights Bill will provide more security for tenants and empower them to challenge poor practice and unreasonable within-tenancy rent increases without fear of eviction.

What steps he is taking to improve mental health support for young people in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) the United Kingdom; and whether he is allocating additional resources to ensure (i) timely and (ii) accessible mental health services for young people.

As health is a devolved matter, it is for the devolved Governments to decide how best to improve mental health support for children and young people in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.Plans for investment in children and young people’s mental health services will be known once the planning round for 2025/26 has concluded following the publication of system allocations and planning guidance for the next financial year. Devolved Governments, including Northern Ireland, will benefit from this additional funding through the Barnett formula.The Mental Health Bill currently before Parliament will deliver the Government’s commitment to modernise the Mental Health Act 1983, so that it is fit for the 21st century. The Bill will amend the Act, which applies to England and Wales, and give children and young people detained under the Act greater choice, autonomy, rights, and support.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Commonwealth and Development affairs, what steps he is taking to help promote the rights of religious minorities in Eritrea.

We consistently raise human rights with the Eritrean government, including religious freedoms. We advocate for the end of detentions based on religion or belief, as we have stated at the UN Human Rights Council. We call for all those unjustly incarcerated to be released. The UK's Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea raised human rights during her visit to Eritrea in June. The UK supports the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Eritrea, voting in favour of his mandate renewal in July.

What steps his Department is taking to (a) increasing public awareness of the symptoms of, (b) provide timely access to (i) diagnostic tests and (ii) treatments for and (c) otherwise take steps to improve early diagnosis rates for ovarian cancer.

NHS England runs Help Us Help You campaigns to increase knowledge of cancer symptoms and address barriers to acting on them, to encourage people to come forward as soon as possible to see their general practitioner. The campaigns focus on a range of symptoms, including symptoms of ovarian cancer, as well as encouraging body awareness, to help people spot symptoms across a wide range of cancers at an early point. Previous phases of the campaign have focused on abdominal symptoms which, among other abdominal cancers, can be indicative of ovarian cancer.It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including ovarian cancer, as quickly as possible, to treat it faster, and to improve outcomes. This is supported by NHS England’s key ambition on cancer to meet the Faster Diagnosis Standard, which sets a target of 28 days from urgent referral by a general practitioner or screening programme to patients being told that they have cancer, or that cancer is ruled out.To ensure women have access to the best treatment for ovarian cancer, NHS England commissioned an audit on ovarian cancer. The aim of the audit is to provide timely evidence for cancer service providers of where patterns of care in England may vary, to increase consistency of access to treatments, and help stimulate improvements in cancer treatment and outcomes for patients.Lord Darzi’s report has set out the scale of the challenges we face in fixing the NHS and the need to improve cancer waiting-time performance and cancer survival. In particular, he has highlighted the need to improve the number of patients starting their treatment within 62 days of referral and to increase the number of patients diagnosed at an earlier stage.The Government will set out any further priorities on cancer, including on early diagnosis, in a national cancer plan. The national cancer plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately bringing this country’s cancer survival rates back up to the standards of the best in the world.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the amount of funding that will be required to meet the UK's potential obligations under the proposed UN global plastics treaty.

The UK is a leader on efforts to end plastic pollution. We already have a broad range of measures in place domestically that we are using, alongside ongoing industry and private sector engagement, as the basis to drive ambition across the proposed provisions of the UN Plastic Pollution Treaty.  The Treaty is still under negotiation, with the UK committed to playing a leading role at the forthcoming fifth intergovernmental negotiating committee to ensure an effective treaty is agreed.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) diplomatic, (b) humanitarian and (c) other steps he is taking with international counterparts to help secure the release of hostages held in Gaza.

Since day one of this government, we have prioritised working to end this conflict and secure the safe release of hostages, in co-ordination with international partners. The Prime Minister - along with other G7 Leaders - has fully endorsed efforts by the US and regional partners to reach a comprehensive deal in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2735. We need the hostages returned immediately and unconditionally. During his most recent visit to the region on 9 October, the Foreign Secretary reiterated the need for an immediate ceasefire to ensure their safe release. We must also see greater protection of civilians, a rapid increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza, and the enabling of UN and humanitarian agencies to operate safely in Gaza.

Food and Rural Affairs, what his policy is on (a) chemical recycling and (b) the mass balance approach at the INC5 negotiations for the UN Global Plastics Treaty.

At the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop a new UN Plastic Pollution Treaty, the UK will align with our domestic policy on any provisions related to chemical recycling. The UK recognises that chemical recycling technologies can offer a complementary route to support the transition towards a circular economy, where mechanical recycling is unfeasible or uneconomic and where this waste may otherwise be incinerated. Our domestic policy will inform our position on any provisions related to chemical recycling, including the mass balance approach, that are negotiated at the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop a new UN Plastics Pollution Treaty.