Written questions by Kearns.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when his Department last discussed the Banjska attack with the Serbian Government.

We continue to engage at senior levels with the Serbian government to urge Serbia to bring to account the perpetrators of the September 2023 Banjska attack and the May 2023 attack on Kosovo Force (KFOR) troops. Most recently, I underlined the importance of accountability for these attacks in my conversation with Serbian Foreign Minister Djuric on 1 December. I also made this point to Foreign Minister Djuric in the margins of the Berlin Process Foreign Ministers' meeting in October.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Kosovan counterpart on the attack on the Iber Lepenci water canal on 28 November 2024.

The Foreign Secretary messaged Kosovo's President Osmani on 30 November and on 1 December I spoke to Kosovo's Prime Minister Kurti, following the attack on critical infrastructure in northern Kosovo the previous day. We expressed our shock and welcomed the swift work of emergency engineers to contain the damage. We underlined the importance of a full, evidence-based investigation and set out the UK's staunch support for Kosovo as it works to bring the perpetrators to account and, in coordination with the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) and the Kosovo Force (KFOR), works to prevent further attacks.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether officials from his Department have met representatives of the Taipei representative office in London in the last six months.

FCDO officials have met regularly with representatives from the Taipei Representative Office in the last six months.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department have held meetings with Taiwan's Representative in London in the last six months.

The Foreign Secretary and other FCDO ministers have not held meetings with the Taipei Representative in London in the last six months.

How many UK police are deployed in each Overseas Territory.

UK Policing is operationally independent and continues to support the development of policing capabilities across the Overseas Territories.In November 2024, authorisations were provided for the deployment of three police officers to Bermuda, two to the Falkland Islands, one to Anguilla, one to Gibraltar and seven to the Sovereign Base Areas.

How many UK police were deployed in each Overseas Territory in November 2023.

UK Policing is operationally independent and continues to support the development of policing capabilities across the Overseas Territories.In November 2024, authorisations were provided for the deployment of three police officers to Bermuda, two to the Falkland Islands, one to Anguilla, one to Gibraltar and seven to the Sovereign Base Areas.

Which Minister in her Department is responsible for relations with the Overseas Territories.

Lord Hanson of Flint is the Home Office minister responsible for relations with Overseas Territories.

Which Minister in his Department is responsible for defence policy on the Overseas Territories.

I am the lead Defence Minister for Overseas Territories.

How many UK military personnel are deployed in each Overseas Territory.

The Ministry of Defence has UK military personnel across various UK Overseas Territories. The approximate* breakdown of military personnel permanently based in UK Overseas Territories is as follows: Ascension IslandFalkland IslandsGibraltarBritish Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT)The Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and DhekeliaTurks and Caicos Islands20830140**402,3701 In addition to this, across all UK Overseas Territories, there are also personnel deployed on operations. While there may be other categories of personnel in other UK Overseas Territories, this information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. * Personnel change over and transition on a regular basis. With leave and other commitments (such as training), specific numbers may fluctuate. ** This figure excludes the Royal Gibraltar Regiment (RG), around 270 personnel whose home base is Gibraltar.

For what reason was Kosovo not mentioned as a contributory nation to Operation Interflex on a social media post made by his Department on 20 November 2024.

The UK's support for Ukraine is ironclad, and we are grateful for the contributions of Kosovo and 11 other partner nations to our programme of basic military training for Ukrainian recruits - Operation Interflex - which recently passed the milestone of 50,000 recruits trained since summer 2022. Our other communications have referenced Kosovo as a contributor.These include last week's announcement press release detailing the 50,000 recruits trained milestone and a similar social media post two days earlier on 18 November:https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-marks-1000th-day-of-full-scale-invasion-of-ukraine-as-training-programme-hits-50000https://x.com/DefenceHQ/status/1858573602762719382 I would be very happy to meet with the hon. Member to discuss this further.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he made representations to his Azeri counterpart on the case of Gubad Ibadoghlu during his recent visit to Baku.

The UK consistently advocates for Dr Ibadoghlu to receive all appropriate medical access and treatment, and for a fair legal process.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Prime Minister made representations to his Azeri counterpart on the case of Gubad Ibadoghlu during his recent visit to Baku.

The UK consistently advocates for Dr Ibadoghlu to receive all appropriate medical access and treatment, and for a fair legal process.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will request from the Serbian authorities the results of any (a) investigation into the death and (b) autopsy of Alexei Zimin.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is providing consular support to Alexei Zimin's family following his death in Belgrade. Local authorities decide whether to conduct postmortems and investigations following deaths. Not all deaths are investigated, for example if it is clear the death was of natural causes. The results of investigations may take months. Families can request information via local authorities. If families wish us to do so, FCDO officials can formally register interest in an investigation on the family's behalf which may result in local authorities sharing information with families directly or via FCDO. If a British national's body is repatriated to England and Wales, HM Coroners may ask for information from overseas authorities. The FCDO can place a request on their behalf. HM Coroners cannot hold inquests in cases of burials or cremations overseas.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure that the British Society of Plant Breeders correctly applies the small producer exemption from royalty fees applied to grain crops with diverse genetic makeup.

The British Society of Plant Breeders (BSPB) is the representative body for the UK plant breeding industry. In the collection of royalty fees and farm saved seed payments, the BSPB are acting as independent agents of various breeders and are not contracted by Government to undertake this work. Therefore, any queries on the payment of royalty fees should be made to the BSPB. The Plant Varieties Act 1997 provides an exemption from making farm saved seed payments if the farmer meets the definition of a small farmer as defined in the Act. Regulation 3(2)(a) of The Plant Breeders’ Rights (Farm Saved Seed) (Specified Information) Regulations 1998 provides an obligation on a small farmer to inform the rights holder that they are exempt from farm saved seed payments. Therefore, a small farmer must inform the BSPB that they meet the exemption for it to be applied. The arrangements for small farmers are publicised through various sources including gov.uk and via the BSPB.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2024 to Question 12092 on Spain: Floods, how many British citizens have been affected by floods in Spain.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has provided consular assistance in 31 cases to British nationals and/or their families, who have been affected by the floods. We encourage anyone seeking assistance to contact the FCDO on 020 7008 5000 from the UK or +34 917 146 300 from Spain.

What steps his Department is taking to improve care for people with migraines.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guideline, Headaches: Diagnosis and management of headaches in young people and adults, updated in December 2021, sets out best practice for healthcare professionals in the care, treatment, and support of people who suffer from headaches, including migraines. It aims to improve the recognition and management of headaches and migraines.At the national level, there are a number of initiatives supporting service improvement and better care for patients with migraines, including the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) Programme for Neurology and the RightCare Headache and Migraine Toolkit. The GIRFT Programme published a National Speciality Report, which makes several recommendations in relation to improving the recognition and diagnosis of migraines by general practitioners. Additionally, the RightCare Headache and Migraine Toolkit sets out key priorities for improving care for patients with migraines, which includes correct identification and diagnosis of headache disorders.The Royal College of General Practitioners has developed two e-learning modules about migraines and cluster headaches, which aim to raise awareness amongst primary care clinicians about the different types of migraines and their associated symptoms, and how to differentiate.Over the last four years, a new class of drugs, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) inhibitors, has been made available on the National Health Service for the prevention and treatment of episodic and chronic migraines. On 15 May 2024, Atogepant became the latest CGRP inhibitor for which the NICE has published guidance. The NICE recommended Atogepant for use as a preventive medication for the treatment of migraines on the NHS in England.

What steps he is taking to ensure that patient (a) experience and (b) voice is reflected in the NHS 10-year plan.

As the Government works to fix the National Health Service, the public must begin to feel the difference in their daily lives. That is why, as part of the engagement exercise to support the development of the 10-Year Health Plan, there will be lots of easy ways for the public to express their views, with face-to-face events in every region, local conversations, and an online portal.Working with Thinks Insight, integrated care systems, and the voluntary, community, and social enterprise sector, we will seek to reach demographics and communities who may experience barriers to being involved.This will be the biggest conversation in the NHS’s history. We want to hear from a wide range of individuals, including the experiences of patients, carers, and health and care workers. We have ambitious plans to engage across the country, and want as many people as possible to share their views.

What steps he is taking to increase uptake of early screening interventions for chronic kidney disease.

NHS England is working to detect people at risk of kidney disease through the NHS Health Check Programme. The programme, which is available for everyone between the ages of 40 and 74 years old who are not already on a chronic disease register, assesses people’s health and risk of developing certain health problems. Using this information, patients are supported to make behavioural changes and access treatment which helps to prevent and detect kidney disease earlier.The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) reviewed chronic kidney disease (CKD) and glomerulonephritis in 2011, concluding that a population-wide screening programme would not be recommended. The UK NSC has not looked at the evidence for a targeted programme. The UK NSC can be alerted to any new published peer-reviewed evidence which may suggest the case for a new screening programme. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-nsc-annual-call-submitting-a-screening-proposal/uk-nsc-annual-call-how-to-submit-a-proposalThe National Health Service provides access to tests and therapies to diagnose, code, and treat patients with early-stage CKD. NHS England, through the Renal Services Transformation Programme and regional renal networks, is implementing initiatives to provide better integrated care, reduce health inequalities, and focus on prevention and timely intervention for kidney disease. Regional renal clinical networks prioritise CKD diagnosis and prevention within their transformation ambitions, facilitating earlier treatment. This includes considerations to develop a unified approach to testing populations at risk of developing CKD, and includes raising awareness of diagnostic tools like urine albumin creatinine tests, enabling CKD diagnosis at stages 1 and 2. NHS England aims to improve awareness and access to these important urine and blood tests across primary and secondary care. In addition, the transformation programme launched a renal toolkit earlier last year, for use by systems, that outlines the principles to support better management of patients identified with CKD throughout their patient journey.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidance, Chronic kidney disease: Assessment and management [NG203], updated in November 2021, sets out best practice for clinicians in the diagnosis and management of CKD. The guidance covers the care and treatment of patients at risk of CKD. It includes recommendations on the monitoring of patients at risk of CKD and aims to prevent or delay the progression of the disease. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng203

Whether the Solar Taskforce plans to take steps to (a) assess the prevalence of and (b) tackle the use of Uyghur forced labour in solar supply chains.

No company operating in the UK should have forced labour in its supply chain. We are working with colleagues across Government to tackle the issue of Uyghur forced labour in supply chains. The Solar Taskforce is focussed on identifying and taking forward the actions needed to develop supply chains that are resilient, sustainable and free from forced labour. This will support the significant increases in deployment of solar panels needed to meet our ambition of radically increasing solar deployment by 2030. Recommendations from the Solar Taskforce will be contained in the Solar Roadmap, which will be published in due course.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will place sanctions on the (a) Montenegro based company International Business Corporation Bar and (b) Serbia based company Ventrade DOO for supplying Russia with advanced technology and equipment for its invasion of Ukraine.

The UK remains steadfast in our support to Ukraine. Together with our international partners, we have implemented the most severe package of sanctions ever imposed on a major economy. The UK alone has sanctioned more than 2,000 individuals and entities under the Russia sanctions regime. Whilst we do not comment on future or individual designations, the Foreign Secretary underlined the importance of tackling third-country support to Russia's military-industrial complex at the EU Foreign Affairs Council on 22 October. I [Minister Doughty] regularly raise third-country circumvention and the Common High Priority Items list with counterparts. We have sanctioned several entities in third countries involved in supporting Russia's war machine.